Serum Institute applies to EU agencies for Covishield approval

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 28

The Serum Institute of India on Monday applied to the European Medicines Agency for inclusion of Covishield in the list of Covid jabs approved for issuance of green passport for travel into and within EU nations after several Indians who took Covishield remain stranded.

Earlier, the SII said it was working to resolve the issue soon.

Also read: No European Union nod for Covishield, Indians stuck

EMA has included in the approval list four vaccines Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca version being manufactured in the UK and Europe but not Covishield, which is made in India by the Serum Institute.

The green passport will be launched on July 1.

Commenting on a range of Indians facing problems to travel across the EU because they have received Covishield, SII chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla said, “I realise that a lot of Indians who have taken Covishield are facing issues with travel to the EU, I assure everyone, I have taken this up at the highest levels and hope to resolve this matter soon, both with regulators and at a diplomatic level with countries.”

Though the EMA has approved four vaccines for the green passport the issuing nations are free to issue passports for more vaccines but a growing number of EU countries have said they would only consider the EU approved vaccines for green passport.

SII manufactured Covishield is however part of the emergency use list of WHO, which has not made distinctions between the Indian produced and the UK and Europe produced versions of the AstraZeneca vaccine.