EU Authorizes AstraZeneca COVID-19 Booster Dose

The European Commission has authorized AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine Vaxzevria as a booster dose following two doses of either Vaxzevria or an authorized messenger RNA (mRNA)  COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaxzevria, which uses a viral vector rather than mRNA technology, received a conditional marketing authorization in the EU in January 2021. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use granted the vaccine a positive recommendation as a booster dose on May 19.

Although it has not been authorized by the FDA for use in the U.S., the vaccine has been widely used elsewhere, achieving global sales of $3.9 billion in 2021.