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The EU could give the green light to the vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech from mid-December, the president of the European Commission announced on Thursday, after a summit where the 27 discussed coordinating their measures to fight the pandemic as it approaches. of the end of the year holidays.
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• Read also: A distribution of the Pfizer vaccine “possible” this year
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is “in daily discussions” with its American counterpart, the powerful FDA, to “synchronize their evaluations of COVID vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference.
“If all procedures go smoothly”, the EMA could “grant Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines their conditional marketing authorization from the second half of December”, underlined the European chief executive.
When asked about the possible use in the EU of the vaccine developed in Russia, which she is testing in Hungary in particular, she was very cautious: “Any vaccine must undergo the EMA authorization procedure, in total transparency. “.
The European Commission has so far signed five contracts to pre-order possible vaccines: with the Swedish-British AstraZenaca, the American Johnson & Johnson, the Franco-British duo Sanofi-GSK, the American-German duo Pfizer / BioNTech and the German CureVac.
After a memorandum of understanding concluded in August with the American biotech Moderna, “we are continuing the talks and we are also discussing with (the American) Novavax,” said Ms von der Leyen.
In an interview with AFP, German BioNTech director Ugur Sahin said Thursday “possible” its authorization and distribution by the end of the year in the US or the EU.
“We may be able to provide vaccines in December,” he insisted.
On the contrary, Moderna boss Stéphane Bancel warned Tuesday that the extension of negotiations with the EU risks slowing deliveries, other countries are a priority, because they have signed up for months.
Meeting Thursday in videoconference, the European heads of state and government also discussed how to ease the restrictive measures in the run-up to the year-end holidays without excessive easing that would lead to “a third wave” of contamination, according to a diplomatic source. .
According to her, they spoke of “pressure (from citizens) to meet, travel, practice winter sports and allow the distribution sector to do its business” at this crucial moment – and the need to “relentlessly take into account of these aspirations “.
“A balance to be found”, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron insisted, according to the same diplomatic source.
“We have to learn the lessons of the past. Any relaxation should be gradual. We want to celebrate the end-of-year celebrations, but in safety, ”Charles Michel, president of the European Council (body representing the 27) told the press.
If Brussels tirelessly calls for greater coordination on measures to combat the pandemic, efforts to harmonize quarantine rules or mutual recognition of detection tests remain complicated. “We’re not there yet,” acknowledges a diplomatic source.
On Wednesday, the Commission formally recommended that Member States use rapid antigen tests under certain conditions to better contain the pandemic, but the multiplicity of these tests marketed with extremely varied standards requires the definition of European “performance” criteria, one insisted. Mrs von der Leyen.
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