Geneva: The World Health Organization said on Saturday it has suspended supply through United Nations agencies of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, produced by India’s Bharat Biotech, to allow the manufacturer to upgrade facilities and address deficiencies found in an inspection.
The WHO asked countries that have received the vaccine to take appropriate actions, according to the statement, but did not specify what the appropriate actions would be.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) is today confirming the suspension of supply of Covaxin produced by Bharat (Biotech), through UN procurement agencies and recommending to countries that received the vaccine to take actions as appropriate,” said WHO in a statement.
This suspension is in response to the outcomes of WHO post emergency use listing inspection conducted between March 14 – 22, and the need to conduct process and facility upgrade to address recently identified good manufacturing practice (GMP) deficiencies.
“In the interim and as a precautionary measure, Bharat has indicated its commitment to suspend its production of Covaxin for export,” read the statement.
The UN body, however, clarified there were absolutely no issues with the safety and efficacy of the product.
“The risk assessment to date does not indicate change in the risk-benefit ratio. The data, available to WHO, indicate the vaccine is effective and no safety concern exists. For continuation of vaccination with alternative sources of Covid 19 vaccines countries should refer to the respective SAGE recommendation,” read the WHO statement.
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