COVID-19 vaccines used by PSG were ‘smuggled’, says defense chief

MANILA – COVID-19 experimental vaccines used by President Rodrigo Duterte’s security group were smuggled, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday, as authorities investigate how the border inspection passed.

“Yes, it is contraband. Kasi Hindi authorized na pumasok dito (because he was not authorized to enter here). Only the government can authorize that through the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” he told reporters during the celebrations. Rizal Day in Manila. .

Lorenzana said that the inoculation of members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) was not authorized. He also doesn’t know who donated the vaccines, which were allegedly developed by Chinese drug maker Sinopharm.

“From what we know then, rumors are spreading that PSG has been vaccinated. Who authorized it, we did not ask,” he said.

(There were rumors before that PSG members had been vaccinated. We did not ask who authorized it).

“It is only now that those facts are coming to light that the vaccine is not yet licensed in the Philippines.”

(Only now has it been revealed that the vaccine is not licensed for use in the Philippines.)

For his part, the head of PSG, Jesús Durante, said that vaccinations began in September and the last batch was in October.

“It actually started in September and the last batch in October … All personnel inoculated so far are fine. No side effects of any kind,” he said in an interview with the ANC.

He also said that the president was not informed about the vaccines until after the PSG men were vaccinated.

“We don’t ask for permission. We just let him know after all the nearby staff were vaccinated. He was shocked,” he added.

In light of the incident, the Customs Office (BOC) is investigating possible smuggling of the vaccines.

“According to our records, no one has declared vaccines to us (no one has declared vaccinations),” Deputy Commissioner and BOC spokesman Vincent Philip Maronilla told Teleradyo.

The Customs official suspects that the vaccines passed through the airport because it requires cold storage.

Even if the vaccines were donated as Malacañang previously claimed, Maronilla said it would still require approval from regulatory agencies.

“‘Pag donated po kasi and it’s still, let’s say, say, a vaccine, this will still have to go through some license, some kind of permission from the FDA before it can be released. At least the kung walang permit, we generally allow the FDA to tell us if it’s okay for products to be released, “he said.

It was President Rodrigo Duterte who revealed in his public address on Saturday that some soldiers had already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Military officials confirmed the move to the dismay of healthcare workers, who should be the first to get vaccinated against the virus.

The Palace had said that the vaccines used by PSG were donated and maintained that it found nothing illegal in the inoculation, saying it was intended to protect the president from the risk of COVID-19 infection.

However, the FDA maintained that the unauthorized use of the COVID-19 vaccine is illegal.

“To date, the FDA has not issued an Emergency Use Authorization (US) for any vaccine for COVID-19. Without proper authorization, there is no guarantee on the safety, quality and efficacy of this vaccine since it has not been subjected to the technical evaluation required by the FDA, “said FDA Director General Eric Domingo.

The agency also maintained that “the manufacture, import, export, sale, offer for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising or sponsorship of any unauthorized vaccine” remains prohibited.

– With report by Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News