WHO to decide on granting Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin next week

World Health Organization. Pic/AFP

The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet next week with an independent group of experts to take a final decision on whether to grant Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to Covaxin. The WHO will carry out the risk and benefit assessments next week with the experts and take a final call on granting the much-awaited EUL to Covid vaccine Covaxin.

The global health body said, "WHO and an independent group of experts are scheduled to meet next week to carry out the risk/benefit assessments and come to a final decision whether to grant Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin." It added that the EUL process of WHO and the technical advisory group of independent experts is centred on determining if a manufactured vaccine is quality-assured, safe and effective.

Indigenous vaccine Covaxin, which has been developed by Bharat Biotech, has not received emergency use approval from the WHO. The Strategic Advisory Group of Expert on Immunization (SAGE) met earlier on Tuesday to decide on Covaxin getting EUL authorisation. However, as no decision could be reached, the global health body will meet again next week to decide on the same.

The expert panel started its four-day meet on Monday to decide on policy guidance. The SAGE and the technical advisory group are supposed to go through all the vaccine dossiers submitted to the WHO before deciding on granting EUL to Covaxin.

"Covaxin manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, has submitting data to the WHO on a rolling basis. It also submitted additional info at WHO's request on 27 September. WHO experts are currently reviewing this information & if it addresses all questions raised, WHO assessment will be finalized next week". The WHO has so far included only six Covid vaccines in its EUL list that includes the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured as Covishield by the Serum Institute of India.

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