Shawdesh desk:

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it has been hit by a cyber-attack and documents relating to a Covid-19 vaccine have been accessed.

BioNTech, which makes one of the vaccines in partnership with Pfizer, said its regulatory submission was accessed during the attack.

The EMA is working on approval of two Covid-19 vaccines, which it expects to conclude within weeks.

The cyber-attack was not expected to impact that timeline, BioNTech said.

The EMA did not provide any details on the nature of the cyber-attack in a brief statement on its website, beyond saying a full investigation had been launched.

The EMA authorises the use of medicines across the European Union.

It is trying to decide if the Pfizer/BioNTech jab – which has just begun being rolled out in the UK – and another made by Moderna are safe for use in EU countries.

It is not clear if the Moderna documents have also been accessed.

The cyber-attack is the latest in a string of attacks and warnings about hacking threats against vaccine-makers and public health bodies, BBC reported.