Nepal's Department of Drug Administration, the national drug regulatory authority, has granted emergency use approval to a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd (BIBP) in China under Sinopharm.

A meeting of the drug advisory committee of the department on Tuesday decided to issue a conditional permission for emergency use authorization to the vaccine.

By providing the emergency use authorization, the department paves the way for bringing Sinopharm's vaccine in Nepal. China has decided to provide 500,000 doses of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine, under grant assistance.

Sinopharm had applied for emergency use authorization for its vaccine on January 13 with the department. 

Of the three applications – two from India and one from China's Sinopharm – the department on January 15 had only given emergency use authorization to the Covishield vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which is produced in India by the Serum Institute of India. The department had demanded necessary documents from Sinopharm and Bharat Biotech.

Emergency use authorization (EUA) is granted for some drugs and vaccines by authorities during a declared emergency when officials can make a judgment that the drug is worth releasing – even without all the evidence that would fully establish its effectiveness and safety. Such a decision is taken when there's enough evidence to suggest that patients have benefited from the drug/vaccine.

(With input from agencies)