PH to obtain 30 million doses of Indian-made Novavax

Manila, Philippines – The Philippines has received at least 30 million doses of the Indian-made Novavax coronavirus vaccine, according to Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

“Thirty million [doses] of Novavax vaccines manufactured in India are possibly insured without cash advance. It will be available in July 2021, ”Locsin said in a television interview.

“The term sheet could be signed before the end of the year,” he added.

Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, is the manufacturer of Novavax.

In the same interview, Locsin also said that vaccine czar Carlito Gálvez Jr. would begin negotiations with Moderna on or before December 30.

“I’m happy that [Philippine] Ambassador [to the United States Jose Manuel] Romualdez himself is helping us with the negotiations. Earlier this morning, he called and said Moderna is interested in giving an assignment to the Philippines, ”added Locsin.

Failed deal

Aside from the two companies, Locsin also noted that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had pledged to help the Philippines source vaccines from US manufacturer Pfizer following a failed deal.

Romualdez previously said that Pfizer vaccines could likely arrive in mid-2021.

Locsin previously said in a Twitter post that he and Romualdez were able to secure 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for delivery in January 2021, but the plan was not met because “someone dropped the ball.”

Locsin did not mention who he was referring to in his tweet, but Senator Panfilo Lacson pointed to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as the one who “dropped the ball” after failing to submit the required confidentiality disclosure agreement on time.

While colleagues lamented Pfizer’s failed deal, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III confirmed Monday that he had warned Duque to “be careful” when purchasing the vaccine developed by Pfizer with the German company BioNTech.

Lack of freezers

The head of the Department of Health (DOH) said over the weekend that Pimentel had warned him two months ago about ordering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, considering the lack of ultra-low-rise freezers in the Philippines.

Pimentel, in a message from Viber to the Inquirer, expressed reservations about the deal with Pfizer following allegations that Duque “dropped the ball” and cost the Philippines the opportunity to acquire 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to January at least.

The opportunity then went to Singapore, officials said.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Pimentel said, requires a negative storage chain of 70 degrees Celsius, “which I doubt the Philippines already has in place as of this point.”

“So, I’m not really a big fan of a vaccine that needs a lot of upfront costs for handling and storage, which then diverts resources away from purchasing the vaccines themselves,” Pimentel said.

The senator said he didn’t want a scenario in late 2021 or early 2022 of billions of dollars worth of vaccines going to waste or spoiling due to improper handling.

“There are vaccines out there, including vaccines made in the US, if we are really obsessed with products made in the US (which we shouldn’t be), that require more realistic storage conditions, like 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, “he said. said.

“I’m sure we can provide that temperature range already, as it looks like normal refrigerator temperature. The bottom line is: Buy a vaccine that you can handle properly so it doesn’t go to waste, ”said Pimentel. INQ

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