WHO approves Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin has got WHO approval on Wednesday as the technical advisory team has recommended the India-made vaccine for emergency use listing for 18 years and above. Covaxin is a vaccine, completely 'made in India', by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research. With validation from WHO, countries can now expedite their regulatory approval processes to import & administer Covaxin. UNICEF, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), GAVI COVAX facility, will be able to procure Covaxin for distribution to countries worldwide

The emergency listing got delayed last month as the technical advisory group sought some additional clarification from Bharat Biotech for its final risk assessment. The technical advisory group met on Wednesday to take the final call, and Covaxin has been recommended for emergency use listing. Covaxin has demonstrated 77.8 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 and 65.2 per cent protection against the new Delta variant. Bharat Biotech said that it concluded the final analysis of Covaxin efficacy from Phase 3 trials. WHO has so far approved Covid-19 vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute of India, Johnson 7 Johnson - Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm for emergency use.