Brexit Britain just approved a European vaccine, German health minister says

BERLIN, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Celebrating Britain's swift approval of BioNtech and Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine as a benefit of Brexit is misplaced since the vaccine was itself a product of the European Union that Britain has left, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Spahn told journalists that while Britain had been the first to approve the vaccine, he was optimistic that the European Medicines Agency would soon follow. The time difference was due to Britain and the U.S. having conducted an emergency approval process, while the EU was using a regular process.

"But a few remarks on Brexit to my British friends: Biontech is a European development, from the EU. The fact that this EU product is so good that Britain approved it so quickly shows that in this crisis European and international cooperation are best," he said.

Some have suggested that Britain having its own medicines approval meant it could move more nimbly than the EU's bloc-wide agency. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt Editing by Paul Carrel)