BioNTech, Pfizer ask Europe to OK emergency vaccine

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer on Tuesday said they have submitted an application for conditional approval of their coronavirus vaccine with the European Medicines Agency.

The move comes a day after rival Moderna said it was asking U.S. and European regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine. BioNTech said if the vaccine, currently named BNT162b2, is approved, its use in Europe could begin before the end of 2020.

The companies said last month that clinical trials with tens of thousands of participants showed the vaccine had an efficacy rate of 95%, with a success rate in particularly vulnerable older age groups of more than 94%. BioNTech and Pfizer have already submitted a request for emergency approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as well as rolling submissions in other countries including Australia, Canada and Japan.