The World Health Organization has given the Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine a list of emergency uses, paving the way for its broader global implementation, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Monday.
The WHO list will apply to the portion of the vaccine that will be distributed mainly to low- and middle-income countries. The producers will be the Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca-SKBio of Korea.
This is only the second time that WHO has issued the emergency use list, the first being for the BioNTech / Pfizer injection on December 31.
The list will mean that countries that receive the vaccine through COVAX – the global mechanism for supplying the coronavirus vaccine – will be able to use the WHO recommendation for their own national approval process and begin receiving doses. More broadly, the WHO emergency use list is useful for countries that are deciding whether to approve a vaccine. COVAX’s first vaccines are scheduled for distribution later this month.
“Countries without access to vaccines so far will finally be able to start vaccinating their health professionals and populations at risk, contributing to the objective of the COVAX Unit for equitable distribution of vaccines,” said Mariângela Simão, WHO deputy general director for access to medicines health products at a press conference.
There is no need for countries to rush into bilateral agreements, as these agreements would increase competition for scarce goods and raise prices, she added.
The announcement follows the recommendation of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Immunization Experts on 10 February for the Oxford / Astrazeneca vaccine for all adults, regardless of age. SAGE has also supported the vaccine in locations where coronavirus variants are circulating.
WHO has repeatedly asked drug manufacturers to submit data in a more timely manner so that they can streamline emergency use lists.