European regulator reviewing data on AstraZeneca COVID-19 booster shots

The European Union's drug regulator said on Thursday it was in discussions with AstraZeneca over possible authorisation of booster doses of the drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine, after it already gave the green light to mRNA booster shots.

"AstraZeneca is submitting data to us. Actually today they submitted a new package of data that could support an extension to use the booster," the European Medicines Agency's head of vaccines strategy, Marco Cavaleri, said at a briefing.

"We will be discussing with them whether this data could be sufficient for (authorisation) or whether we need more evidence," Cavaleri added.