WHO continues to examine emergency approval of Sputnik vaccine after interruption
Geneva. The review of the Russian Sputnik corona vaccine for possible emergency approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) was received on Thursday after an interruption. That said, the WHO Deputy Director General Mariângela Simão, responsible for vaccines and pharmaceuticals, in Geneva.
The procedure was based on the fact that the applicants had not yet expressly recognized the WHO rules, but the outstanding signature had arrived that evening.
In the coming weeks, inspections are likely to begin at the manufacturers’ factories to complete the approval process, Simão said. She emphasizes that the rules and procedures are the same for all applicants and are published on the WHO website. It makes no difference which country an application for emergency approval comes from or whether the application comes from a state institution or a private company.
The WHO has so far issued emergency approvals for the corona vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer, Astrazeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac. Approval is a prerequisite for UN organizations to be able to use the vaccines. Countries that do not have regulatory agencies of their own rely on WHO testing when approving drugs or vaccines.