A woman receives the second component of the Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) COVID-19 vaccine.
Valentin Sprinchak | TASS | Getty Images
LONDON — The European Medicines Agency has said will start assessing the Russian coronavirus jab, Sputnik V, as the bloc looks to speed up its vaccination program.
“EMA will assess Sputnik V’s compliance with the usual EU standards for effectiveness, safety and quality. While EMA cannot predict the overall timelines, it should take less time than normal to evaluate an eventual application,” the regulator said in a statement on Thursday.
If the review is successful, the Russian vaccine would still need a marketing authorization application before being greenlit for administration across the 27 member states.
The news come after a number of European countries indicated that they could start administering Sputnik V, bypassing the regulator.
This is a breaking news story and it is being updated.