EU Drug Regulator Backs AstraZeneca’s Coronavirus Vaccine
Europe’s top drug agency on Tuesday said regulators remain confident in the safety of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after a dozen European countries suspended the use of the drug over concerns about blood clots.
Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), said during a press conference the agency remains “firmly convinced” the benefits of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks of side effects.
The agency has convened a safety committee of experts from across the European Union and beyond for an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss and release the findings of its investigation into reports of rare but dangerous blood clots in the brain.
“At present, there is no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions,” Cooke said. “They have not come up in clinical trials and they’re not listed as known or expected side events.”
