The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Incomplete data stalls Swiss authorisation of Covid-19 vaccines

vaccine
The government has already placed orders for several million shots of vaccine from three manufacturers: Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Moderna. Keystone / John Cairns

Switzerland’s medical regulator Swissmedic says it lacks the necessary information to sign off on three different coronavirus vaccines ordered by the government.   

The regulator said important data on safety, efficacy and quality are still missing. It has reached out to the manufacturers, who provided data from their studies. 

“We lack data on the effectiveness of the clinical trials and on the important subgroups that participated in these large studies,” said Claus Bolte, head of the authorisation division at Swissmedic, at a press briefing on Tuesday organised by the Federal Office of Public Health. 

For example, Swissmedic wants to know about the pre-existing illnesses of the people who took part in these studies. According to the regulator, acceptance of such rapidly developed vaccines requires a high degree of trust in manufacturers and approving authorities. It is therefore important to examine very closely the effects on different groups of people. 

Rollout plan 

The government has already placed orders for several million shots of vaccine from three manufacturers: Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Moderna. 

At the press conference, authorities said vaccines will be offered free of charge and priority will be given to the most vulnerable groups and health workers. The services of the army will be enlisted to ensure stockage and distribution and the country’s 26 cantons will be in charge of setting up vaccination centres. 

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

Buying a house in Switzerland is getting more expensive, +4% in one year

More

Swiss house prices rise 4% in a year

This content was published on The cost of buying a home in Switzerland rose by 4.1% year-on-year in the last quarter and by 0.7% compared to the previous three months.

Read more: Swiss house prices rise 4% in a year
Swiss suspends flights over Pakistan

More

SWISS suspends flights over Pakistan

This content was published on Swiss International Air Lines will avoid Pakistani airspace until further notice due to rising tension between India and Pakistan.

Read more: SWISS suspends flights over Pakistan

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR