BRUSSELS — Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Friday adopted a new regulation that will allow European vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 to be developed more quickly, said the European Parliament (EP).

The regulation that allows temporary derogation from certain rules for clinical trials was approved by 505 votes in favor, 67 against and 109 abstentions, following an urgent debate last week, said an EP press release.

The European Commission last month proposed a vaccine strategy that requests a temporary and strictly COVID-19-related derogation from certain rules for clinical trials of vaccines or treatments that contain or consist of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

As national requirements to assess the environmental risks of clinical trials on medicinal products that contain or consist of GMOs vary considerably across member states, a derogation from these rules is needed to avoid significant delay in developing life-saving vaccines and treatments, said the release.