PUNE, INDIA (REUTERS) - Novavax Inc and its partner Serum Institute of India have applied to the World Health Organisation for an emergency use listing of Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine, the company said on Thursday (Sept 23).

The WHO's emergency use listing is a signal to national regulatory authorities of a product's safety and efficacy.

It is also a prerequisite for exportation to several countries participating in the Covax vaccine sharing facility.

Novavax and Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine producer, have committed to together provide more than 1.1 billion doses to the Covax facility, which aims to provide equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

The Novavax shot is a protein-based vaccine, and has shown 90.4 per cent efficacy overall in trials in the United States and Mexico.