Be more vocal for local Covaxin

Four months after the World Health Organisation granted approval for emergency use listing (EUL) to Covaxin, the Bharat Biotech-Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Covid vaccine remains unrecognised in many countries, including in Europe and Japan. With international travel opening up, this lack of recognition makes it difficult for the nearly 15% of vaccinated Indian adults and almost all the 15-18-year-old population to travel with ease. GoI and the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) must take up the matter to remedy the situation. The lack of global acceptance for the indigenously developed vaccine does not bode well for the 'vocal for local' credo if it stays confined.

The WHO EUL and the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) conditional marketing authorisation serve as benchmarks for other countries. Covaxin is yet to be taken up for review and recognition by EMA. Efficacy studies and assessments by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) found Covaxin to be comparable to other vaccines in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation due to Covid-19. Yet, in many countries using EMA approval as benchmark, the Covaxin-jabbed are treated as either unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. Countries like France will recognise persons inoculated with a vaccine not recognised by EMA, such as Covaxin, as fully vaccinated only after they get an additional dose of an mRNA vaccine.

Support for 'local' or India-made products as a whole might take a hit, as it is putting people at a disadvantage when it comes to the rest of the world. The case with Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is a case of how support for 'local' can be disadvantageous by exacting a cost. GoI must push Covaxin-acceptance worldwide as an example.