European drug regulator brings Moderna vaccine decision forward to Jan 6
A clinical trial of 30,400 people found the Moderna vaccine was 94.1 percent effective
The EU's medicines watchdog said on Thursday that it had moved forward the date for a decision on authorizing Moderna's coronavirus vaccine to January 6 from January 12.
The Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency said US-based Moderna had sent extra data ahead of schedule, so the regulator had "scheduled an extraordinary meeting on 6 January 2021 to conclude its assessment, if possible."
The EMA had originally been due to decide on US-based Moderna's vaccine on January 12, but said the company had submitted extra data on Thursday "ahead of schedule".
"Taking due account of the progress made, the Committee has scheduled an extraordinary meeting on 6 January 2021 to conclude its assessment, if possible," the EMA said, referring to the medicines committee that decides on such issues.
"The meeting planned for 12 January 2021 will be maintained if needed."
A clinical trial of 30,400 people found the Moderna vaccine was 94.1 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 compared to a placebo, performing slightly better in younger adults compared to the elderly.
With Britain and the United States having pushed through emergency authorization of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the EMA has been under pressure to speed up, notably from Germany.
The watchdog, which moved from London last year after Brexit, will decide on a year-long "conditional marketing authorization" for Pfizer/BioNTech on Monday, having brought the date forward from December 29.