Both Pfizer and Moderna want the vaccine in Europe as soon as possible. However, it will take more time for the authorities

The American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech have applied for the conditional registration of a common vaccine against covid-19 on the European Union market.

The DPA agency informed this today, according to which the application was submitted on Monday. On the same day, the US company Moderna also applied for a conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine in the Union.

The European Medicines Agency will now deal with both requests. It is not clear how long it will take. If it accepts conditional registration, DPA vaccines may still be available on the European market in December. The EMA decision must also be approved by the European Commission, which, however, usually follows the recommendations of the Medicines Agency.

If all goes according to plan and all necessary documents are available, EMA could complete investigations into the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine by December 29 and the Moderna vaccine by January 12.

BioNTech said it could start distributing the vaccine in Europe soon after registering it. According to his spokesperson Sirka Poetting, it could be in “a few hours”.

According to him, the vaccine can be stored in an ordinary refrigerator for up to five days, in boxes with dry ice for up to a month. Special refrigeration equipment is required for longer storage.

The vaccine, developed in collaboration with Pfizer and BioNTech, is up to 95% effective in clinical studies. The data refer to the protection against covid-19.

The extent to which SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, protects against coronavirus infection is still unclear. According to the manufacturers, the preparation has no serious side effects.

Already in November, the European Commission approved the signing of a contract for the purchase of up to 300 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines and 160 million doses of the vaccine developed by Moderna.

As early as November, Pfizer and BioNTech asked for approval for an emergency deployment in the United States. Moderna made the same request in the US on Monday. According to DPA, Pfizer and BioNTech have also applied for vaccine registration in Great Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan.