(Corrects final paragraph to say .. 18 to 64 ..not.. 18 and 64)
BERLIN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The head of Germany's vaccine
regulator expects that the European Union will approve
AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine without any age
restrictions, he told a news conference on Friday.
The bloc's drugs regulator, the European Medicines Agency
(EMA), is due to issue a recommendation on AstraZeneca's
vaccine, co-developed by Oxford University, later on Friday.
Klaus Cichutek, president of the Paul Ehrlich Institute,
said European regulators were in a position to approve the
vaccine without restrictions with the warning that the available
data for older age groups was weaker.
Health Minister Jens Spahn had previously said he does not
expect an unrestricted approval of the shot.
On Thursday, Germany's expert vaccine committee said
AstraZeneca's vaccine should only be given to people aged 18 to
64.
(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle and Zuzana Szymanska; writing by
Caroline Copley; editing by Thomas Seythal and Hugh Lawson)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
