EMA to speed up procedure

"This is very good news for youngsters and their families and especially for young people who belong to risk groups including youngsters with serious lung disease, cancer or Down’s syndrome. Those should be vaccinated as soon as possible“, this was the reaction of the health spokesperson of the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats) Dr. med. Peter Liese after the FDA announced its approval of the BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year old youngsters.

The EMA originally planned the approval only for June. “I am very happy that the head of EMA Emer Cooke announced now that approval is possible this month. Last week I had the opportunity to talk to Emer Cooke and urged her for prioritizing this procedure. Of course, safety is essential, especially when it comes to children and youngsters. However, it is also a question of priorities. EMA is able to grant the original market licensing two weeks after receiving the application. That has been done for the approval of AstraZeneca, for example. I think that young people should be a priority for all of us”, said the doctor and MEP.