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In a major development, the WHO on Wednesday said it has 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 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.”
“The Technical Advisory Group of WHO has recommended Emergency Use Listing status for Covaxin,” a source told PTI before the WHO announcement.
The TAG on October 26 had sought “additional clarifications” from the company for Covaxin to conduct a final “risk-benefit assessment” for Emergency Use Listing of the vaccine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the G20 summit recently.
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.
