Table 1.

COVID-19 vaccines approved in the European Union

Generic name	Brand name	Marketing authorization holder	Composition	Posology	Approved indication
BNT162b2	Comirnaty	BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH	30 µg of mRNA (nucleoside modified), embedded in lipid nanoparticles	2 doses (0.3 mL each) 3 weeks apart	≥12 years
mRNA-1273	COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna	Moderna Biotech Spain	100 µg of mRNA (nucleoside modified), embedded in lipid nanoparticles	2 doses (0.5 mL each) 4 weeks apart	≥18 years
ChAdOx1-S	Vaxzevria	AstraZeneca AB	2.5 x 108 infectious units of ChAdOx1-S (recombinant)	2 doses (0.5 mL each) 4–12 weeks apart	≥18 years
Ad26.COV2-S	COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen	Janssen-Cilag International NV	8.92 log10 infectious units of Ad26.COV2-S (recombinant)	1 dose (0.5 mL)	≥18 years

mRNA: single-strained, 5ʹ-capped messenger RNA produced using a cell-free in vitro transcription from corresponding DNA templates, encoding the viral spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 [2,3]. ChAdOx-S: Chimpanzee Adenovirus encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein, produced in genetically modified human embryonic kidney 293 cells and by recombinant DNA technology [4]. Ad26.COV2-S: Adenovirus type 26 encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike, produced in the PER.C6 TetR cell line and by recombinant DNA technology [5].

BNT162b2 was approved in December 2020 for individuals ≥16 years old, but at the end of May 2021 the marketing authorization was extended to children aged 12–15 years.

All vaccines are administered intramuscularly.