European Union set to approve Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine before Christmas

German Health Minister Jens Spahn told a news conference that he hoped EU approval would be in place before Christmas, clearing a path for the first inoculations by the end of the year

The European Union is on course to approve its first Covid-19 vaccine before Christmas after its drug regulator brought forward a deadline for review following the start of immunisation campaigns in the United States and Britain.
 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said an expert panel would now convene on Monday Dec. 21 to consider for possible approval the vaccine made by U.S. company Pfizer and German partner BioNTech. It had previously said the meeting could be as late as Dec 29.
 

Rising infection rates and tighter lockdown measures in many European nations have added to the pressure on the EMA