EMERGENCY USE LISTING

EMERGENCY USE LISTING

Subject: Science & tech

Context: The World Health Organization listed Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, in a move seeking to speed access in the developing world.

Concept:

• The vaccine has gotten regulatory backing from the United Kingdom, the European Medicines Agency, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
• Pfizer and BioNTech’s messenger RNA vaccine was found to be 95% effective after two doses 21 days apart.
• The United Nations health agency said it will work with regional partners to tell national health authorities about the two-dose shot and its anticipated benefits.
• The WHO’s review found Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine met the “must-have” criteria for safety and efficacy benefits outweigh its risks.
• The UN health agency, with the GAVI Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), are spearheading a global effort called COVAX to secure and distribute vaccines to poorer countries, to ensure shots do not go only to wealthy nations.
• The WHO-backed COVAX alliance has agreements for nearly 2 billion doses, with first deliveries due in early 2021. The alliance has been in talks with Pfizer and BioNTech to secure vaccine

Emergency Use Listing

• Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is the procedure to streamline the process by which new or unlicensed products can be used during public health emergencies.
• The EUL replaces the Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) procedure, which was used during the West Africa Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016.
• The WHO established its emergency use listing (EUL) process to help poorer countries without their own regulatory resources quickly approve medicines new diseases like Covid-19, which otherwise could lead to delays.

Global Alliance For Vaccines and Immunization

• GAVI, officially Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries.
• GAVI has observer status at the World Health Assembly. It was founded in 2000 and is located at Geneva, Switzerland.
• GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance as part of its mission to save lives, reduce poverty and protect the world against the threat of epidemics, has helped vaccinate more than 822 million children in the world’s poorest countries, preventing more than 14 million future deaths.

Additional Information

• Union Minister of Health, HarshVardhan will be representing the South East Area Regional Office (SEARO)/ Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) constituency on the GAVI Board.
• Harsh Vardhan will be representing India from 1stJanuary 2021 until 31st December 2023.
• The Board normally meets twice a year in June and November/ December and holds an annual retreat, normally in March or April.
• The GAVI Board is responsible for strategic direction and policy-making, oversees the operations of the Vaccine Alliance and monitors programme implementation.