The German pharmaceutical company CureVac said on Friday that it has started transmitting 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 the data as it is published. It is hoped that this will shorten the time needed for the regulator to reach an approval decision.
The CureVac jab used the same mRNA technology as the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, which is also produced in Germany, and the US-made Moderna vaccine.
How far is the CureVac vaccine?
Vaccine studies in healthy adults are currently taking place in Europe and Latin America. Mass testing began in December and the company hopes to have results from the study by March or April.
The EMA based its decision to begin reviewing the CureVac vaccine on preliminary results from laboratory and early clinical trials.
A statement on the EMA’s website said: “These studies suggest that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies and immune cells that target SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”
To date, the EU has authorized the use of three vaccines – those from BioNTech-Pfizer, Oxford University-AstraZeneca and Moderna. All were approved based on ongoing reviews.
The EU is pushing for more doses of vaccine
The EU has been heavily criticized for the slow launch of vaccination programs everywhere. Jabul CureVac is expected to alleviate some of the problems as the continent sees an increase in infections.
CureVac is also working with British company GSK to develop another vaccine that could target several COVID-19 variants with a single shot.
The German company took over the global titles in March last year, when US President Donald Trump tried to ensure exclusive access to his vaccines for the US.
The company was quick to reject any idea that it was selling its technology.
ab / dj (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)