New standards established at WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation April meeting

From 20-24 April 2026, the WHO held the 82^nd meeting of its Expert Committee for Biological Standardization (ECBS). During the meeting, MHRA-NIBSC experts presented the results from a number of completed biological standardisation projects, leading to the establishment of 12 new or replacement WHO International Standards or Reference Reagents, as listed below.

It is anticipated that these products will enter the NIBSC catalogue and be available for purchase in the coming weeks. Check here for updates.

Detailed outcomes of the wider WHO ECBS meeting are available in the executive summary report.

New WHO standards:

• Unfractionated Heparin for molecular weight calibration, 1^st WHO International Standard (product code 07/324)
• Whole genome high-throughput sequencing of oral poliomyelitis vaccines, WHO International Reference Reagents (product codes 23/160, 23/162, 23/172, 23/174)
• Sabin inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine for in vivo potency assay (product codes 17/130, 17/160)
• Antibodies to Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus for neutralization assays, 1^st WHO International Standard (product code 24/228_NT)
• Antibodies to Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus for binding assays, 1^st WHO International Standard (product code 24/228_BA)

Replacement WHO standards:

• Blood coagulation Factor VIII and von Willebrand Factor (plasma), 7^th WHO International Standard (product code 24/120)
• Antibodies to hepatitis A virus, 3^rd WHO International Standard (product code 23/360)
• Pertussis vaccine (whole cell), 5^th International Standard (product code 24/116)