Master in Food Ethics and Law

UNESCO Chair in Bioethics

Contact

  • Bioethics and Law Observatory
  • UNESCO Chair in Bioethics
  • University of Barcelona
  • Faculty of Law
  • Ave. Diagonal, 684
  • 08034 Barcelona
  • (+34) 93 403 45 46
  • obd.ub@ub.edu
  •  
  • Master in Bioethics and Law
  • (+34) 93 403 45 46
  • master.bd@ub.edu

 

"Emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccines: lessons from Ebola"

The Lancet

Russia  and  China  have  begun  COVID-19  vaccinations  outside  of  clinical  trials.  This  move  has  been  met  with  widespread   criticism   because   the   safety   profiles   of   these   candidate   COVID-19   vaccines   remain   uncertain   without   data   from   phase   3   trials.1,2   Emergency   use   authorisations—a   regulatory   mechanism   that   enables   the  public  to  gain  access  to  promising  investigational  medical   products   when   those   products   have   not   yet   received     regulatory     approval     and     licensure3—have previously  been  used  for  unlicensed  vaccines  in  public  health    emergencies    and    can    be    ethically    justified    provided  that  certain  conditions  are  met.