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Go says there are sufficient funds for the Covid-19 immunization program
The government will not accept bribes from any coronavirus vaccine developer seeking approval of their drug for use in the country.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Thursday following reports that Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd., the Philippines’ first choice for its inoculation campaign against the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19), has a history of bribing drug regulators.
Roque said that President Rodrigo Duterte has full confidence in the director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Eric Domingo, to ensure that the country only receives a “safe and effective” Covid-19 vaccine.
“The President fully trusts Dr. Domingo, so when it comes to bribery allegations, I think that will not happen in the Philippines. (The President has full confidence in Dr. Domingo. So when it comes to allegations of bribery, I don’t think that will happen with the Philippines) ”, said Roque during a press conference.
Duterte has authorized the FDA to approve coronavirus vaccines and drugs for emergency use.
In a story published Dec. 4, the Washington Post said court records showed that Sinovac’s chief executive officer (CEO) bribed China’s drug regulatory agency to speed up approval of its SARS vaccine in 2003. and the swine flu vaccine in 2009.
The firm acknowledged the bribery case that involved its CEO, but said he cooperated with prosecutors and was not charged.
The Washington Post report acknowledged that there was no evidence that any of the Sinovac products involved in the bribery cases were defective.
But experts interviewed by the newspaper said Sinovac’s history of bribery “casts a long shadow of doubt” on his claims about the vaccine.
“Those years corresponded to Sinovac’s break-up period when the biotech startup founded in 2001 was selected by Beijing officials to lead the development of vaccines for SARS, bird flu and swine flu,” the Post said.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd previously said that the FDA, as well as the panel of vaccine experts, were “aware” of the report and would verify its veracity.
“This will be part of the work of the panel of vaccine experts. They will first evaluate the veracity of such a report to see if there is any truth in it, ”said Duque.
“If it’s true, then it’s up to the vaccine expert panel to include this in their final report and also the Food and Drug Administration. There is also the Single Joint Ethics Review Board to ensure that we are not victims of these questionable transactions if they actually happened, ”he said.
Sinovac is seeking FDA approval to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials in the Philippines after
pass the initial evaluation of the vaccine expert panel. It has already started delivering the vaccine to Indonesia.
Roque echoed the statement by vaccine czar Carlito Gálvez Jr. that the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine could be the first to be implemented in the country.
“The goal remains that Sinovac will be the first that we can use to vaccinate our people and it will be in the first quarter of next year,” said Roque.
The big problem is providing sufficient doses for the vaccination program, he added.
In a related development, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, vice chairman of the Senate finance committee, said lawmakers have ratified the proposed 2021 national budget that will focus on addressing the Covid-19 crisis.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demographics, Go said he will ensure that there is sufficient funding for the purchase of vaccines, as well as other priority health-related items, such as improvements to health facilities across the country.
The Secretary for Budget and Management, Wendel Avisado, had revealed that the government was willing to spend more than 73,000 million pesetas to vaccinate half the population, or 60 million Filipinos.
In addition to internal financing, the government will also draw on other national and bilateral sources, multilateral organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and the private sector.
The President had also directed the Department of Health to negotiate bilateral agreements with other countries to help ensure uniform and sufficient distribution of vaccines.
Go said he shared Duterte’s desire to prioritize and provide free access to the poor and vulnerable, as well as those on the front lines, such as medical workers, teachers, and uniformed personnel, once a Covid-19 vaccine is deemed safe and effective. .
He once again expressed his willingness and that of the President to be among the first to be vaccinated in order to increase public confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
WITH JAVIER JOE ISMAEL
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