The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the application for emergency use authorization of AstraZeneca for its COVID-19 vaccines.
According to FDA Director General Eric Domingo, the FDA has “decided that all conditions for an EUA are present” and the benefits outweigh “the known and potential risk.”
AstraZeneca is the second developer to be granted emergency use approval for its COVID-19 vaccines after Pfizer-BioNTech. It has already made negotiations with several local government units including those in the National Capital Region.
The vaccine requires 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for its storage temperature and has two standard doses which can be administered between four to 12 weeks. It has a reported efficacy rate of 70 percent for its first dose and may increase after the second dose is injected.
“Yung data naman ng (The data of) AstraZeneca show that it is very good in preventing severe COVID-19, halos 100 percent din (almost 100 percent too),” Domingo stated.
“Kaya lang siempre medyo maliit pa ang datos nila at maa-update pa ‘yan (However, there is little data and it can still be updated) as we get more data on the people included in the clinical trial,” Domingo added.
Among the side effects of the vaccine are fever and headache and it can only be given to individuals aged 18 years old and above. Pregnant women are still required to consult medical professionals before they receive the doses.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is not yet allowed to be sold commercially pending its certificate for product registration.
There are currently three more applications for EUA in the country including Gamaleya of Russia, Sinovac of China, and Bharat Biotec of India. – Report from Mark Fetalco
