WHO approval opens up Covaxin for worldwide use, says ICMR chief

New Delhi: The approval given by the World Health Organization (WHO) to Covaxin has opened up the indigenous vaccine for worldwide use, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava has said. The vaccine has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR, which comes under the Union health ministry.
The UN health body put its stamp of approval on the safety and efficacy of India’s indigenous vaccine on Wednesday.
“It is a great day for India. It is a classic example of how private-public partnership has been a success in this field. The hard work of scientists and healthcare workers has led to this approval today. This makes India very proud. We should keep up this momentum,” Bhargava said shorty after the approval was announced on Wednesday.
“It means the whole world is open for us for sending this vaccine. And, in India, we have already administered a large number of doses, therefore we will be able to send this vaccine to the rest of the world,” he added.
The approval comes after a long wait, as the WHO had sought additional clarifications from the manufacturer of Covaxin, in order to conduct a final emergency use listing (EUL) risk-benefit assessment for global use of the vaccine.
The approval was done on the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for Emergency Use Listing (TAG-EUL), an independent advisory panel that provides recommendations to WHO on whether a Covid-19 vaccine can be listed for emergency use under the EUL procedure.
The United States has already allowed those who have received Covaxin shots to enter when the country opens its borders for international trvallers on November 8. The WHO approval will allow for a larger recognition of Covaxin by other countries.