Novavax asks EU drug regulator to OK its COVID vaccine

LONDON (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator says it received an application from Novavax to authorize the American biotechnology company’s coronavirus vaccine. In a statement on Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency said it had begun evaluating data submitted by Novavax for its two-dose vaccine. The agency says an expedited review process could produce a decision within weeks “if the data submitted are sufficiently robust and complete to show the efficacy, safety and quality of the vaccine.” The application could significantly boost Europe’s vaccine supplies, if it’s granted. Novavax’s shot is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, which then trigger an immune response.