Bharat Biotech & WHO's pre-submission meeting on June 23 for Covaxin approval

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is expected to get World Health Organization (WHO) approval soon. Regarding this, Bharat Biotech has a pre-submission meeting with WHO officials on June 23. The meeting will evaluate the Indigenous Corona Vaccine for Emergency Use List (EU).

Last month, there was an uproar when all other vaccines were approved by the WHO, except for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine has been facing hurdles gaining foreign approvals since the Phase 3 trial data is essential for validation from the World Health Organization (WHO), which will allow the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company to export its Covid-19 vaccine and make it a part of the much-coveted "vaccine passport".

As a result, the company took immediate action and submitted 90 per cent documents and evidence to the WHO for inclusion in the list. A few days later, the remaining documents were also submitted. The Ministry of External Affairs was also a big help to the company.

We are aware that Bharat Biotech has sought the WHO emergency-use listing for Covaxin. We hope that the process of getting this approval is completed at an early date," said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

WHO has approved Covishield, which is the local name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that is being manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India. In fact, it's one of just seven vaccines that the WHO has approved for inclusion on the EUL.