WHO to decide on Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin next week

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

The WHO said, “WHO & an independent group of experts are scheduled to meet next week to carry out the risk/benefit assessment and come to a final decision whether to grant Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin”. It added further that the Emergency Use Listing 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. 

India’s indigenously-developed Bharat Biotech’s covid vaccine Covaxin has not received the emergency use approval from the World Health Organization. The Strategic Advisory Group of Expert on Immunization (SAGE) met today earlier to decide on Covaxin to give the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) authorisation. However, the EUL has not been granted to the Covaxin and now the global health body will meet again next week to decide on the EUL for Covaxin.

The expert panel started its four-day meet on October 4 to decide on policy guidance. The SAGE and technical advisory group are supposed to go through all vaccine dossiers submitted to the WHO to decide on granting EUL.

The WHO said, “Covaxin manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis & 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”.