Serum Institute's COVID vaccine Covovax gets WHO's approval for emergency use

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday issued an emergency use listing for Covovax, Serum Institute of India's version of Novavax Inc's Covid-19 vaccine.

In a press release, the world agency said, "Today, the World Health Organization issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for NVX-CoV2373, expanding the basket of WHO-validated vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine, named Covovax, is produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) under licence from Novavax and is part of the COVAX facility portfolio, giving a much-needed boost to ongoing efforts to vaccinate more people in lower-income countries."

Reacting to the announcement, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Pune-based SII tweeted, “This is yet another milestone in our fight against Covid-19, Covovax is now WHO approved for emergency use, showing excellent safety and efficacy. Thank you all for a great collaboration."

Notably, WHO's EUL procedure assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and is a prerequisite for COVAX vaccine supply. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.

The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (TAG-EUL), convened by WHO and made up of experts from around the world, has determined that the vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against COVID-19, that the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs any risks, and that the vaccine can be used globally.

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(With inputs from agencies)