The European Commission authorized on Monday the use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union.
"With five approved vaccines, the EU has a varied portfolio, based both on novel technologies, such as mRNA, and classic ones, like Novavax, which is protein-based," the head of the bloc's executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Twitter.
The decision came shortly after the EU drugs regulator had recommended its approval.
The vaccine can now be deployed in EU countries that have bought it, with deliveries expected to begin in January.
The European Medicines Agency decision to recommend granting conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine for people aged 18 and over comes as many European nations are battling surges in infections and amid concerns about the spread of the new omicron variant.
Novavax says it currently is testing how its shots will hold up against the omicron variant, and like other manufacturers has begun formulating an updated version to better match that variant in case in case it’s eventually needed.
The Novavax shot joins those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca in the EU’s vaccine armory. The EU has ordered up to 100 million doses of the Novavax vaccine with an option for 100 million more.
Last week, the World Health Organization gave emergency approval to the Novavax vaccine, paving the way for its inclusion in the UN-backed program to get such vaccines to poorer countries around the world.
The EMA said that it's human medicines committee concluded by consensus “that the data on the vaccine were robust and met the EU criteria for efficacy, safety and quality.”
