The Technical Advisory Group of WHO, which met today, has recommended the Emergency Use Listing status for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin – a decision that will ease international travel and the export of the indigenous vaccine. The World Health Organisation’s panel had last week sought additional clarifications from the Hyderabad-based pharma firm. Covaxin is a whole virion-inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV2, developed in partnership with ICMR and NIV, Pune.
“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 Covid-19,” the UN health body said in a tweet.
Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, termed it a ‘significant step’. “The EUL authorisation for Covaxin will enable us to contribute to accelerating the equitable access of Covid-19 vaccine, and the access to our vaccine globally thereby addressing the current public health emergency,” a company statement quoted him as saying.
