The Philippines may access COVID-19 vaccines earlier than the expected second quarter of 2021 after President #Duterte authorized the FDA to issue emergency use authorization for effective vaccines.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said the authority granted can shorten the processing time of vaccines from six months to 21 days.
“Ang ine-expect po natin actually ang UK or ang US magbibigay ng EUA mga end of the month pa, mga December. Kaya ang ine-expect ko po talaga, mga January pa magkakaroon tayo ng applications dito sa Pilipinas (We have been expecting the UK or US to grant EUA by the end of the month. That is why I was expecting the applications to come around January),” Domingo shared.
Domingo said there is a great chance that the vaccine being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech which was recently granted EUA by the United Kingdom will also be granted EUA in the Philippines. Vaccination may begin as early as March 2021 in case the German biotechnology company applies for an authorization.
Approved applications must ensure completion of processing for full registration. The FDA will monitor if the products will bring about complications.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III clarified that such vaccines will no longer undergo certification for product registration to avoid delay in access.
“Siguro four weeks mabibigay na ‘yung EUA. Pwede nang gamitin, pwede nang umangkat. As against four months… four to six months malaking deperensya (The EUA may be given in 4 weeks. This may be used already, we could import. As against four months… four to six months, that’s a big difference),” Duque explained.
The FDA assured that the quality and efficacy of the product is guaranteed amid the easing of processing time. It will also assure that Asians and Filipinos are included in the trials. It is now finalizing guidelines on the matter. – Report from Mark Fetalco
