WHO grants emergency use listing to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

THE WHO on Wednesday (3) said it granted emergency use listing (EUL) to Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin.

This comes after the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent advisory committee of the WHO, recommended EUL status for Covaxin.

"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 global health body said in a tweet.

Dr Poonam Khetarpal Singh, regional director of WHO south East Asia, in a tweet, said, "Congratulations India for Emergency Use Listing of its indigenously produced COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin."

On October 26, the TAG had sought "additional clarifications" from the company for Covaxin to conduct a final "risk-benefit assessment" for emergency use listing of the vaccine.

The TAG-EUL is an independent advisory group that provides recommendations to WHO on whether a Covid-19 vaccine can be listed for emergency use under the EUL procedure.

Covaxin has demonstrated 77.8 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic Covid-19 and 65.2 per cent protection against the new Delta variant.

In June, the company said it concluded the final analysis of Covaxin efficacy from Phase 3 trials.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Oxford University's Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India.

(PTI)