Russia Considering Manufacturing COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Sputnik V’ At PH

The Philippines and Russia are discussing the possible manufacture of the COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine by the Gamaleya Institute in the country, the Department of Commerce and Industry revealed.

The Secretary of Commerce and Industry (DTI), Ramón López, spoke with the Russian ambassador to the Philippines, HE Igor Khovaev, about the possibility of manufacturing and distributing Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines during the ambassador’s courtesy call of farewell on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.

DTI Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo, who is also the managing director of the Investment Board, said the Philippines and Russia also agreed on the need to strengthen the current Joint Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC), which covers the areas trade, investment and other economic cooperation projects between the two nations.

Rodolfo said that the JCTEC is scheduled to meet in November of this year where “the important part of the JTEC meeting agenda is collaboration on vaccines.”

While Rodolfo said the discussion was still preliminary, the discussions appeared to be gaining ground as Russia had discussed the plan through its embassy in Manila with the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology.

The DOST through assistant Leah Buendia has already engaged with the Gamaleya Institute of Russia and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Alexander Zhuravlev, RDIF’s senior vice president of investment department presented the Gamaleya Sputnik V vaccine on September 18. The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is touted as the world’s first human adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine.

“Russia’s offer is not only to supply vaccines, but also to collaborate for the manufacture of the vaccine in the Philippines. Ambassador Igor emphasized that Russia is the only country that also offers the manufacture of the vaccine in the country, “said Rodolfo.

DTI Undersecretary Allan Gepty said Russia is willing to venture into manufacturing as long as there is a pharmaceutical company that can handle large-scale production of vaccines. “I think this is something that the Philippines will have to prepare or develop capacity,” he said.

Gepty explained that the vaccine development roadmap in the Philippines is, in the medium term, to have a local pharmaceutical company to establish a fill and finish for the vaccine. In the long term, the creation of a virology science and technology institute has been requested (a bill is currently being presented in Congress) to develop the capacity initially for R&D and, finally, to have our own manufacture of vaccines to big scale.

On the joint clinical trial, Gepty said that according to the Food and Drug Administration there is an ethnicity / racial similarity requirement necessary as part of the protocol in the vaccine approval process. “Right now, most of the subjects in the clinical trial conducted are Russians,” he said.

“It is important that you abide by all related Philippine rules and regulations, including conducting joint clinical trials,” he said.

Rodolfo also stressed that it is important that the vaccine be subject to all related Philippine rules and regulations, including conducting joint clinical trials and following the requirements of DOH, the Food and Drug Administration, and DOST.

However, the plan is part of the joint clinical trials and immediate provision of vaccine supply after the third phase and regulatory approval that all local rules and regulations related to this will follow, for example, conducting a trial. joint clinical trial of the third phase for Sputnik V.

During the meeting, the Russian ambassador also mentioned that in addition to Gamaleya, two other entities in Russia are also developing vaccines.