WHO expects to review Chinese Covid-19 vaccines on April 26: Official

WHO emergency use listing is a prequisite for being purchased by the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility.

China's Covid-19 vaccines, made by Sinopharm and Sinovac, are in final stages of review for emergency use listing by the World Health Organization (WHO) which expects to decide on at least one at an April 26 meeting, its regulation director Rogerio Gaspar said on Friday.

Employees pick up vials containing CoronaVac, Sinovac's vaccine against Covid-19, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (REUTERS / File)

A second meeting was planned for the week of May 3, which would allow for reviewing the second one as needed, he said.

WHO emergency use listing is a prequisite for being purchased by the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility and is also a signal to countries with weaker regulatory agencies about a vaccine's safety and efficacy.