The two most widely used Covid vaccines, made with messenger RNA technology, pose no risk to mothers or babies, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday. Studies have been conducted on pregnant women.
Research involving some 65,000 women has shown “increasing evidence” that injections of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines did not cause complications during pregnancy, the European regulator said. Vaccinations also provided increased protection against hospitalizations and death, particularly in late pregnancy, the EMA pointed out.
“The review did not identify any signs of an increased risk of complications during pregnancy, miscarriage, premature birth or adverse effects in unborn babies following vaccination with the Covid mRNA vaccine,” said the EMA said in a statement. Both Pfizer and Moderna use new messenger RNA technology.
The European regulator, headquartered in Amsterdam, said it had carried out an “in-depth review of several studies” involving around 65,000 pregnancies at different stages. “The review (…) suggests that the benefits of mRNA Covid vaccines during pregnancy outweigh any possible risks to pregnant women and unborn babies,” the EMA said.
Pregnancy itself had been associated with a higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease during the second and third trimesters, so expectant mothers should get vaccinated, the EMA added. And to declare that she would now examine the data of the other vaccines that she authorized “as they become available”.
ATS