In a major development, the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is an independent advisory committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has given nod to Emergency Use Listing (EUL) status for India’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin.
Taking to microblogging website Twitter, the health agency said that it has added Covaxin to the portfolio of vaccines validated by it for the prevention of COVID-19.
“WHO has granted emergency use listing (EUL) to #COVAXIN (developed by Bharat Biotech), adding to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated by WHO for the prevention of #COVID19,” it tweeted.
WHO has granted emergency use listing (EUL) to #COVAXIN (developed by Bharat Biotech), adding to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated by WHO for the prevention of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/dp2A1knGtT
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 3, 2021
Developed by Bharat Biotech, WHO is currently in the process of assessing the data of Covaxin’s clinical trials for use of EUL.
As per the information, the TAG had sought ‘additional clarifications’ on October 26 from Bharat Biotech, the developer of Covaxin to conduct a final ‘risk-benefit assessment’ for EUL.
The approval of Covaxin for emergency use listing will amount to recognition and help pave the way for people who have taken the dose to qualify for vaccine mandates in other countries. The approval by WHO was expected by the end of October, but is still awaited by the biotechnology company.
Dr Mariangela Simao, Assistant Director-General, Access to Medicines and Health Products at WHO, had said earlier, “Bharat Biotech has been submitting data regularly and very quickly, but they submitted the last batch of data on the 18th of October.”
Notably, Covaxin has shown 77.8 per cent efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 as well as 65.2 per cent efficacy against the new Delta variant of the virus.
It is the second most used vaccine in India after AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s Covishield.
