Molta Foreign Minister: "EMA Will Not Approve Sputnik V Vaccine Next Month"

Russian vaccine 'Sputnik V'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European regulatory body for medicines evaluation and supervision, is expected to approve the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' by the end of June.

According to TASS news agency and others on the 23rd (local time), Evarist Bartolo, Malta's Foreign Minister, who is scheduled to visit Sochi, a resort city in southern Russia, on the 25th for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, stated, "EMA's approval of the Sputnik V vaccine will take place this month or next month."

He said, "We (the EU) have always said that as long as all documents and certification materials are provided, there will be no issues from the EMA side," adding, "The (approval) process is underway."

Minister Bartolo emphasized, "In my opinion, several European countries will somehow start producing the Sputnik V vaccine domestically," noting that this would benefit not only Malta but also the EU. He added, "I know many Maltese people who have received the Sputnik V vaccine, and all of them are in good condition."

He further added that once the EU approves Sputnik V and flights between Moscow and Malta resume, there will be no problems for Russian tourists visiting Malta.

The Sputnik V vaccine was developed and approved by Russia in August last year, making it the world's first. In February, phase 3 results showing a preventive efficacy of 91.6% were published in the world-renowned medical journal The Lancet, and as the number of approving countries increases, the evaluation of the vaccine is becoming more positive.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.