EU drugs watchdog conducts COVID-19 vaccine, treatment collaboration program

FILE PHOTO: Woman holds a vial labelled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" over dry ice in this illustration taken, December 5, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Europe's drugs regulator said on Thursday it had started a program in December to share COVID-19 vaccine and treatment expertise with regulators not part of the European Union, collaborating with them to understand decisions around potential shots or medicines.

Authorities from Australia, Canada, Japan, Switzerland and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been participating in the pilot program under permanent confidentiality arrangements, the European Medicines Agency said. (https://bit.ly/3awkJWC)

(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)