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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government is unlikely to grant emergency approval to COVID-19 vaccines whose clinical trials were conducted abroad, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said Tuesday.
“Maybe it’s the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can decide on that … I doubt we’ll follow the emergency approvals [granted overseas] if the trials were not made here, “he said at a press conference.
De la Peña was commenting on Monday’s announcement by US drug maker Pfizer Inc. that it would seek an emergency use authorization from the US FDA for the experimental COVID-19 vaccine it was developing with German pharmaceutical company BioNTech.
90 percent effective
Pfizer, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, said its vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in a large-scale clinical trial.
De la Peña said the company’s statement must be verified in the Philippines.
“First, yes [Pfizer] will conduct clinical trials here, the data collected will go through our panel of vaccine experts and be verified by them. Because the 90 percent who advertised, it was they who made the announcement. We don’t know the details yet. We do not know the data that supports it. If there are clinical trials here, we can verify it, ”he said.
Help Wanted in USA
The Philippine Ambassador to the United States, José Manuel Romualdez, in a recorded briefing reproduced by Malacañang, said that the Department of Foreign Relations had asked the United States Department of State for help in accessing the Pfizer vaccine.
He said the company’s manager in Manila would handle the matter.
“[Pfizer] it won’t sell it at a high price to countries like us. It will probably cost about $ 5 per injection, ”Romualdez said.
He said another US drugmaker, Moderna Inc., was also ready to supply the Philippines with the COVID-19 vaccine it was developing “if we want it.”
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What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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