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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said there are three Covid vaccine manufacturers seeking to apply for the local Emergency Use Authorization (USA).
In an online press conference Tuesday, FDA CEO Eric Domingo revealed that AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac Biotech have expressed interest in securing the EUA, which will allow the government to purchase their vaccines for local use.
“Most of them are waiting for the EUA guidelines, so I think they will be implemented soon,” Domingo said.
Of the three, Sinovac has already obtained a USA from China, while Pfizer was obtaining a USA from the UK, Bahrain and Singapore.
Domingo said they already released the US application guidelines last Monday.
He clarified that the EUA is not a product registration certificate, so its holders will not yet be able to sell their Covid-19 vaccines locally.
Currently, a Covid-19 vaccine can only be used locally if its manufacturer or importer obtains an EUA and conducts local clinical trials.
As of December 15, 2020, Domingo said they had not yet received any applications from the US or approved the start of any local clinical trials.
He said this means that there is still no Covid-19 vaccine allowed for local use.
“We are warning the public not to inject with the vaccines that are sold. We do not have [Covid-19] vaccine, which were registered or permitted / authorized for use here in the Philippines, ”said Domingo.
The FDA issued the advisory amid a report that some Covid-19 vaccines are already sold locally.
Domingo noted that such contraband items can pose a health risk to their users.
