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EMA chief hopes J&J will seek COVID-19 vaccine approval next month – Metro US

EMA chief hopes J&J will seek COVID-19 vaccine approval next month

Vial and sryinge are seen in front of displayed Johnson&Johnson
Vial and sryinge are seen in front of displayed Johnson&Johnson logo in this illustration taken

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) hopes Johnson & Johnson will seek regulatory approval for its COVID-19 vaccine in February, its executive director said on Friday.

“We hope it is to come in February, but whether I could confirm that that’s the case, I’m afraid I’m not in a position to do so,” Emer Cooke told a virtual event.

A top EU lawmaker this week said the U.S. healthcare company was likely to seek EU regulatory approval next month.

Europe’s drugs regulator has so far recommended the Pfizer-BioNtech, and Moderna vaccines and is reviewing another by AstraZeneca under an accelerated timeline.

Cooke added that the EMA has not yet had applications for the Russian or Chinese vaccines, but is in discussions with the Russian vaccine developer.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Jan Harvey)