Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The World Health Organization has postponed the clearance of Indian Covid vaccine, Covaxin for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) yet again. It has asked the manufacturing company Bharat Biotech for more data. Indians, particularly students and those planning international trips will be affected by this delay. The EUA is critical since most nations will not accept Covaxin without it.
On October 5, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) will discuss the EUA to Covaxin. Dr. Pravin Bharati Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, had previously stated, “There is the procedure of submitting the documents for approval. WHO’s emergency use authorization is expected soon”.
Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), Niti Aayog also indicated that the WHO EUA is expected in the last week of September.
According to Bharat Biotech, Covaxin’s Phase 3 clinical studies revealed a 77.8% effectiveness rate. All relevant trial data has been sent to WHO, and Bharat Biotech has responded to all UN health agency clarifications.
As per the statement given by Bharat Biotech,“We have responded to any clarifications sought by WHO and are awaiting further feedback. As a responsible manufacturer with several prequalified vaccines, we do not find it appropriate to speculate or comment on the approval process and its timelines”.
So far, Covid vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, US pharma majors Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, China’s Sinopharm and Oxford-AstraZeneca have been approved by the UN Public Health Agency for emergency use.