Breaking Update: Here’s a clear explanation of the latest developments related to Breaking News:Novel oral polio vaccine type 2 by India’s Biological E achieves WHO prequalification– What Just Happened and why it matters right now.
12 February 2026 – The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) welcomes the World Health Organization (WHO)’s decision to grant prequalification (PQ) status to the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) by India’s Biological E. Limited (BE). This new recommendation expands BE’s role from fill‑finish activities using bulk vaccine supplied by PT Bio Farma (PTB) to full manufacture of the vaccine. Since March 2024, BE has added 700 million doses of nOPV2 into the global stockpile.
With this new PQ, BE becomes the second full manufacturer of nOPV2, joining PTB in Indonesia. Together, the two manufacturers provide diversified, stable global production capacity for this critical tool to stop outbreaks of type 2 variant poliovirus for good.
With the new WHO recommendation, BE is expected to produce 600 million doses per year, strengthening global outbreak response capacity and ensuring countries can access nOPV2 rapidly when needed.
This milestone also adds to India’s record of global leadership in vaccine manufacturing and its contributions to expanding access to affordable life‑saving vaccines across the Global South.
“Expanding nOPV2 manufacturing is essential to ensuring countries can respond quickly to variant poliovirus outbreaks,” said Mike McGovern, Chair of the International PolioPlus Committee, Rotary International and Chair of the Polio Oversight Board, GPEI. “Biological E’s prequalification status strengthens the global supply and brings us closer to ending these outbreaks for good.”
More than 2 billion doses of nOPV2 have already been administered worldwide since they were first introduced in 2021. After years of large-scale use, evidence shows that nOPV2 is effective in stopping variant poliovirus outbreaks. Estimated risk of new variant polio outbreaks is nearly 80% lower than what would be expected if monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine type 2 was used at the same scale. This improved stability makes nOPV2 a critical asset in the global effort to eliminate variant polioviruses, complementing rapid, high-quality immunization campaigns and strong disease surveillance systems.
“As a next-generation vaccine, nOPV2 is a major scientific advance for polio outbreak response,” said Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, Director for Polio, Gates Foundation. “Having Biological E as a full manufacturer expands the dependable supply countries need to protect children and sustain progress toward eradication.”
About the GPEI:
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six partners – the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.