EU to Relax GMO Rules as Part of New Vaccine Strategy

As part of its new vaccine strategy, the European Commission has proposed to temporarily relax the EU’s strict rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in order to speed up the search for a COVID-19 vaccine and cure. Potential vaccines currently under development by pharmaceutical companies such as Astra Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson contain or consist of GMOs.

Brussels is ready to loosen its stance on GMOs in order to avoid bottlenecks in clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine involving multiple countries, Euractiv reports.

Current GMO legislation does not foresee situations of urgency, resulting in very complex and time-consuming procedures, the Commission argues, saying “there is considerable variety across member states in the national requirements and procedures implementing the GMO directives.”

The proposed derogation, which still needs to be voted by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, will last for as long as COVID-19 is regarded as a public health emergency, the Commission said.

The relaxed rules will apply not only for clinical trials on a COVID-19 vaccine but also for treatments, the Commission’s communication reads, although compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and an environmental risk assessment of the products will still be carried out before their marketing authorization.

The Commission called on the EU’s co-legislators to adopt the proposal swiftly in order to enable clinical trials to take place in Europe as quickly as possible. German MEP Peter Liese, European People’s Party (EPP) spokesperson for health, agreed with the Commission’s push on passing the derogation as soon as possible, saying that it needs to be done before the summer break.

– It’s a challenge to do it in 3-weeks time, but at the Parliament, we have followed fast-track procedures for less crucial issues in the past – he said.

Although GMOs are controversial, Liese said the proposed temporary change in legislation would be “small” and “very targeted”, Euractiv adds.

European Commission

Astra Zeneca

Johnson and Johnson

Peter Liese

GMO

Covid 19

coronavirus vaccine