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WHO decision on EUL for Covaxin expected soon

Millions of Indians have taken the shot produced by Bharat Biotech but many have been unable to travel pending the WHO approval
Last Updated 26 October 2021, 12:51 IST

A World Health Organization technical advisory group was reviewing data on India's Covaxin shot against Covid-19 on Tuesday with a decision on its emergency use listing likely soon, a spokesperson said.

"If all is in place and all goes well and if the committee is satisfied, we would expect a recommendation within the next 24 hours or so," Margaret Harris told journalists at a UN press briefing.

Millions of Indians have taken the shot produced by Bharat Biotech but many have been unable to travel pending the WHO approval.

Earlier this month, the WHO said that Bharat Biotech “has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional information at the WHO's request on September 27.

Bharat Biotech had submitted EOI (Expression of Interest) on April 19 for its vaccine. The WHO said it began rolling data of the vaccine on July 6.

Rolling data allows the WHO to start its review right away, as information continues to come in, to accelerate the overall review process.

According to the WHO, submissions for pre-qualification or listing under the emergency use procedure are confidential.

If a product submitted for assessment is found to meet the criteria for listing, the WHO will publish the results widely.

Duration of the emergency use listing process depends on the quality of the data submitted by the vaccine manufacturer and on the data meeting the WHO's criteria, according to the agency.

If Covaxin is granted EUL by WHO, it will enable millions of individuals across the world to travel to countries without any restrictions. The US for example, allows individuals who have been vaccinated with WHO-approved shots to enter the nation without any curbs.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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(Published 26 October 2021, 07:58 IST)

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