EU Drugs Regulator Set to Approve Two New Vaccination Plants

THE European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to grant regulatory approval to two vaccination plants in the EU.

According to reports, the EU regulator will approve two new vaccination plants in the Netherlands and Germany.

The Dutch Halix plant, which is based in Leiden, is manufacturing the drug substance for the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the BioNTech vaccine production site in Marburg could also be set for EMA approval.

The news comes after Spain raised its upper age limit for the AstraZeneca vaccine to 65.

Health Minister Carolina Darias said: “The age limit set at 55 years is abolished and the limit is extended to 65 years,” The decision came just two days before Spain was to resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the EU’s drug regulator deemed the jab “safe and effective”.

Last Monday, Spain and several other European countries said they were suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports linked it to blood clots in a very small number of people. While many have resumed using it an opinion poll on Monday showed Europeans still had concerns over its safety.

“As I have said on other occasions, the vaccines are safe, effective and they save lives,” Darias said of the fears. The move to resume the vaccine’s use and to expand the age limit to older people should help accelerate the country’s inoculation drive.

The government has vowed to vaccinate 70 per cent of Spain’s population by the end of summer.

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