The medicines regulator Swissmedic says it has not yet received enough robust data from clinical trials to give the green light to the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Swedish-British company.
While the supervisory authority saw conclusive results from studies involving many participants to approve two other coronavirus vaccines, the same could not be said for the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, Swissmedic director Raimund Bruhin told the CH Media group of newspapers on Thursday.
But this did not mean that he believes the vaccine is a poor one.
“We are only saying that the company has not yet been able to prove to us that it is a good vaccine,” said Bruhin.
The approvals process, he added, was about hard data and facts. Last week Swissmedic received a large package of data from the pharmaceutical company, which it is now reviewing, and remains in regular contact with the makers of the vaccine.
Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, have been administering the AstraZeneca vaccine for over three months – although several nations have halted vaccinations in recent days over isolated cases of blood-clotting. The European Medicines Agency has said the benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab greatly outweigh the risks and on Thursday will issue a report on its investigation into cases of blood clots.
Switzerland has ordered more than 35 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from five manufacturers. To date Swissmedic has approved shots developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Roughly 4% of the population has been vaccinated so far, but delays in approval and delivery have slowed the roll-out process.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
This content was published on
A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
This content was published on
In many cases, China's use of AI undermines the national security of the US and its allies, according to a US government representative.
Swiss Hells Angels trial alleges rape and money laundering
This content was published on
An allegedly high-ranking member of the Hells Angels is accused of money laundering totalling millions and rape, among other serious crimes.
SWISS is airline ‘group flagship’ says Lufthansa boss
This content was published on
Despite challenges, Lufthansa and its most important subsidiary, Swiss International Airlines, promise increased satisfaction and continued growth.
Swiss rediscover communist zeal after 84-year hiatus
This content was published on
Over 300 participants founded the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP) at its congress in Burgdorf in canton Bern at the weekend.
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland could sell or give away AstraZeneca doses if regulator dithers
This content was published on
A lack of green light from medicines regulator Swissmedic could see 5.3 million doses ordered by Switzerland sent elsewhere.
This content was published on
Media reports indicate that vaccinating everyone who wants to by summer relies on meeting ambitious vaccine delivery targets in spring.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.