Germany will not recommend AstraZeneca shot for older adults

Germany’s health minister says he expects the European Union’s drug regulator to authorize a further coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca on Friday, but that currently available data may mean it is not recommended for older adults.

Jens Spahn said authorities are waiting to see what advice the European Medicines Agency issues with regard to vaccinations for people over 65, and Germany would then adjust its own guidance for doctors in the country.

“We don’t expect an unrestricted approval,” Spahn told reporters in Berlin.

Questions remain about how well the AstraZeneca vaccine protects older people. Only 12 percent of the participants in the AstraZeneca research were over 55 and they were enrolled later, so there hasn’t been enough time to get results.

On Thursday, a draft recommendation from Germany’s vaccination advisory committee said the AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given to people aged 18-64 for now. Britain’s medicines regulatory agency also acknowledged the limited data in older people but still cleared the shot last month for all adults, with some caution for pregnant women.

A separate study testing the AstraZeneca vaccine in the U.S. is still underway.

The shot would be the third  vaccine given the greenlight by the EMA, after ones made by Pfizer and Moderna. Those were authorized for all adults.-AP