Process To Receive WHO Pre-Qualification For Covaxin On: Government

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said the application for pre-qualification is submitted by the manufacturer directly to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Of the two vaccines presently being procured for the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination, Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) has received the WHO pre-qualification, while the process of pre-qualification for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is going on, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said the application for pre-qualification is submitted by the manufacturer directly to the World Health Organization (WHO). In response to a question on when the WHO approval for Covaxin is expected, the minister said the data required for approval was submitted by Bharat Biotech International Limited to WHO on July 9. "Based on the time taken for approval of other COVID-19 vaccines, it is estimated that the WHO-EUL process takes approximately two to three months from the date of submission," she said.