The Role of the European Medicines Agency in the Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines and Future Directions in Enhancing Vaccine Safety Globally

Irina Caplanusi (), Agnieszka Szmigiel, Menno van der Elst, Marie Louise Schougaard Christiansen, Steffen Thirstrup, Cosimo Zaccaria, Bénédicte Cappelli, Georgy Genov and Sabine Straus
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Irina Caplanusi: European Medicines Agency, Pharmacovigilance Office
Agnieszka Szmigiel: European Medicines Agency, Pharmacovigilance Office
Menno van der Elst: Medicines Evaluation Board
Marie Louise Schougaard Christiansen: Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee
Steffen Thirstrup: European Medicines Agency
Cosimo Zaccaria: European Medicines Agency, Pharmacovigilance Office
Bénédicte Cappelli: European Medicines Agency, Pharmacovigilance Office
Georgy Genov: European Medicines Agency, Pharmacovigilance Office
Sabine Straus: Medicines Evaluation Board

Drug Safety, 2024, vol. 47, issue 5, No 1, 405-418

Abstract: Abstract The European Union (EU) regulatory network was at the forefront of the safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. An unprecedented number of case reports of suspected adverse reactions after vaccination called for huge efforts for the assessment of this safety information, to ensure that any possible risks were detected and managed as early as possible, while ruling out coincidental but temporally related adverse health outcomes. We describe the role of the European Medicines Agency alongside the EU regulatory network in the safety monitoring of the COVID-19 vaccines, and provide an insight into challenges, particularities and outcomes of the scientific assessment and regulatory decisions in the complex, dynamic international environment of the pandemic. We discuss the flexible procedural tools that were used to ensure an expedited scientific assessment of safety issues, and subsequent updates of the product information (i.e., labelling) when available evidence (e.g., spontaneous reports, findings from observational studies and/or scientific literature) suggested that causal association is at least a reasonable possibility. The safety monitoring was accompanied by enhanced transparency measures, proactive communication, and easy access to information, which played a key role in public reassurance. The pandemic has been a powerful booster for worldwide collaboration, exchange of information and work-sharing. The safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines continues, and the lessons learned will be applied in future safety reviews, as well as future health emergencies.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01405-9

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