PremiumThe World Health Organization (WHO) expects to make a decision next month on an emergency authorisation for the coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, made by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, a shot that has yet to be authorised by any Western regulatory authorities, a top vaccines official at the agency told AP.
Dr Mariangela Simao, a WHO assistant director-general for Covid-19 vaccines, says the UN health agency's assessment of the Bharat Biotech vaccine was "quite advanced" and officials hoped for a decision by mid-September, the report added.
Few studies have been published on the shot. Indian researchers have yet to share any advanced research about the coronavirus vaccine, which has been authorised and used in India.
Covaxin 78% effective
Indian scientists say the Covid-19 vaccine is about 78% effective, but there are some questions about how the vaccine performs in the real world, including against coronavirus variants.
Simao says WHO is also considering other versions of vaccines already licensed by the agency, including one made by Sinopharm. She expects they'll begin evaluating vaccines made by Sanofi Pasteur and Novavax in September.
"There are many, many vaccines in the final stages of the pipeline," Simao says.
Recently, the US makers of Novavax said they would prioritize seeking authorization in developing countries and from WHO before getting the green light in the US and European Union.
Meanwhile, the WHO said a clinical trial in 52 nations would study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for Covid-19 patients.
"These therapies - artesunate, imatinib and infliximab – were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalised COVID-19 patients," it said in a statement on the Solidarity PLUS trial.
The trial involves thousands of researchers at more than 600 hospitals, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing from Geneva.
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