17 European nations have given nod to Covishield: Serum Institute of India

PUNE: The owner and CEO of Covishield-maker Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla, dismissed on Saturday the need for a “marketing authorisation application” to the European Union (EU), saying “16 of the 27 member countries” and Switzerland (not part of the EU) have currently approved the vaccine based on the WHO’s pre-qualification or emergency use listing (EUL).
France on Saturday became the latest EU member country to approve Covishield for travel. Poonawalla told TOI the EU countries that had approved Covishield included “Germany, and the Netherlands,”.
“Slowly, every EU nation is accepting Covishield. But Italy and a few others have not approved it yet. We did not make any application to those who have approved it. Europe, the US, and everyone else have to acknowledge that this vaccine (Covishield) is of good quality because WHO has approved it,” he said.
The 16 EU countries are Austria, France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, he said.