India may have to wait slightly longer for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to grant the Emergency use approval to Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin. Taking to Twitter, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan informed on Sunday that the technical advisory group, involved in examining the vaccine, will meet on October 26 to consider the Emergency use listing (EUL) for Covaxin. She further stated that the world health body is working closely with the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to complete the formalities.

“The technical advisory group will meet on Oct 26th to consider EUL (Emergency use listing) for Covaxin. WHO has been working closely with BharatBiotech to complete the dossier. Our goal is to have a broad portfolio of vaccines approved for emergency use & to expand access to populations everywhere,” Dr Soumya Swaminathan tweeted.

On WHO’s request, Bharat Biotech submitted additional information on the vaccine on September 27. On October 5, the world health body extended giving the EUL to Covaxin by a week. With this recent development, India can now expect the Emergency Use approval for the Covid-19 vaccine by the last week of October.

The Emergency Use Listing process – done by WHO and the Technical Advisory Group of independent experts – is centred on determining if a manufactured product (e.g. a vaccine) is quality-assured, safe and effective, WHO informed in a tweet earlier.

The indigenously developed Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is one of the six vaccines that have received emergency use authorisation from India’s Drug Regulator and is being used in the nationwide anti-COVID-19 inoculation programme along with Covishield and Sputnik V. It was developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).