India's first indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine, Corbevax, has been granted an Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organisation, the company which manufactures it in India said here on Tuesday.

Corbevax is based on a protein sub-unit platform and manufactured by the pharmaceutical firm Biological E Limited in India.

Mahima Datla, Managing Director of Biological E Ltd said: “We are pleased with the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) because it would help us use the platform to continue developing COVID-19 vaccines as and when it starts impacting public health. We are confident that this endorsement from WHO will bolster our global fight against COVID-19.’’ The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had already approved Corbevax for restricted use in emergency among adults, adolescents and young children in a sequential manner from December 2021 to April 2022.

It was also given approval for use as India’s first heterologous COVID-19 booster shot for adults aged 18 and above, in June 2022.

The company supplied 100 million doses of Corbevax to the central government which were then utilized in pan-India immunization campaigns, mainly in children aged 12-14 years, the release said.

Datla said that several companies which started vaccine development or manufacture during the COVID-19 pandemic exited later due to paucity of funds or lack of success. However, BE continued to remain committed to develop and provide access to high quality and affordable vaccines globally, by constantly enlarging its portfolio of offerings, she added.

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