The German pharmaceutical company CureVac said on Friday that it had started submitting data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as part of the ongoing review of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The company, based in the southern German city of Tübingen, is still conducting clinical trials, but the real-time review process means the agency can observe data piecemeal while it is being released. It is hoped that this will shorten the time it takes for the regulator to reach a decision.
CureVac’s jab used the same mRNA technology as the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, which is also manufactured in Germany, and the American-made Moderna vaccine.
How far is the CureVac vaccine?
Trials of vaccination on healthy adults are currently taking place in Europe and Latin America. The mass testing began in December and the company hopes the results will be by March or April.
The EMA made its decision to launch the CureVac vaccine based on preliminary results from laboratory studies and early clinical trials.
A statement on the EMA’s website said: “These studies suggest that the vaccine causes the production of antibodies and immune cells that target SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”
So far, the EU has approved the use of three vaccines – those of BioNTech-Pfizer, Oxford University-AstraZeneca and Moderna. All were approved based on ongoing reviews.
EU pushes for more vaccine doses
The EU has come under heavy criticism for the slow implementation of vaccination programs across the bloc. The CureVac sting problems are expected to alleviate some of the problems as the continent sees an increase in infections.
CureVac is also working with UK company GSK to develop another vaccine that can target multiple COVID-19 variants with just one shot.
The German company made headlines worldwide in March last year when US President Donald Trump tried to ensure exclusive access to his vaccines for the US.
The company quickly rejected the notion that it was selling its technology.
ab / dj (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)