April 2 – The World Health Organization said on Saturday it had suspended shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, made by India’s Bharat Biotech, by United Nations agencies to allow the manufacturer to modernize facilities and found it during an inspection can fix deficiencies.
WHO urged countries that received the vaccine to take appropriate action, according to the statement, but did not specify what appropriate action would be.
The WHO said the vaccine was effective and there were no safety concerns, but suspending production for export would result in a disruption to Covaxin supplies. The suspension is in response to the findings of the March 14-22 WHO post-emergency list (EUL) inspection, and the vaccine maker has expressed its commitment to suspend production of Covaxin for export.
Bharat Biotech did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent after business hours.
On Friday, the vaccine maker said it was slowing production of Covaxin as demand fell along with a drop in infections and broader vaccine coverage in the country. Continue reading
The WHO said the company “has committed to compliance by addressing the GMP deficiencies and developing a corrective and preventive action plan to be presented to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and the WHO”.
Reporting by Vishal Vivek in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio