Feb 4 (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said
it was taking steps to speed up the development of vaccines and
treatments to combat the new coronavirus that has killed more
than 400 people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the
flu-like virus a global emergency and experts say much is still
unknown, including its mortality rate and transmission routes.
"EMA is ready to support medicine developers with all
available regulatory tools to advance and expedite the
development of effective measures to fight and prevent the
spread of this virus," the agency said.
It said it was looking for potential antivirals or vaccines
to treat or prevent the virus outbreak and that it was analysing
all available information on developers' drug pipelines.
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has said it was
working with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
(CEPI) in an effort to develop a vaccine.
"EMA has activated its plan for managing emerging health
threats," EMA Executive Director Guido Rasi said, adding that
the agency would provide fast-track scientific advice and give
prompt feedback on any proposed medicine developments.
(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by
Edmund Blair)