Covaxin Likely to Get WHO Emergency Approval This Month: Dr VK Paul

According to Centre, all relevant documents pertaining to WHO approval were submitted by Bharat Biotech on 9 July. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Image: Erum Gour/The Quint)

Speaking to news agency ANI, chairman of the National Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration and Member of Health for NITI Aayog Dr VK Paul said that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) approval for Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, is likely to come before the end of this month.

Dr VK Paul said, "We know of positive developments – data sharing, data evaluation going on through multiple reviews and we know that we're close to decision point. We believe that positive decision could be coming in before month end," ANI quoted.

He added, "We must give time to WHO to make their decision based on the science and yet hope that the decision will be taken quickly because people who are receiving Covaxin have certain imperatives of travel etc, for which WHO's concurrence is important."

Till now, the WHO approval for emergency use has only been given to the COVID vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, US pharma majors Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, China’s Sinopharm, and Oxford-AstraZeneca.

According to the central government, all relevant documents pertaining to WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) were submitted by Bharat Biotech on 9 July, with the international health regulator beginning the reviewing process for the same, news agency PTI reported.

Covaxin is among the six emergency approved COVID-19 vaccines in India, and is being administered in the national vaccination drive along with Covishield and Sputnik V.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)