Preparations for COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Underway

The country’s Panel of Experts on Vaccines is making extensive preparations, chaired by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the World Health Organization (WHO) HP Vaccine Team and the Vaccine Communication teams of the Department of Health (DOH) as the WHO Solidarity Trial for Vaccines are coming.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, in his weekly report, said preparations discussed by the teams include creating a schedule of activities for the COVID-19 vaccine testing campaign, data sharing arrangements and procedure (s ) laboratory for sample collection, processing and cryopreservation, which was sent by WHO-Philippines.

In an online forum with DOH on Friday, the secretary said the WHO may publish the list of vaccines and protocols for the Solidarity for Vaccines trial by next month.

DOST is funding the local implementation of the P89.1 million WHO Solidarity Trial.

The main executor of the project is the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) with Dr. Jodor Lim as the general principal investigator. Eleven hospitals will serve as test sites for the project.

On September 3, the Interagency Working Group on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved through Resolution No. 68 the zoning guideline for clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine as recommended by the Sub-TWG on Development of Vaccines through the assistance of the DOST Vaccine Expert Panel.

The guideline is published to avoid competition for clinical trial sites among vaccine developers. DOST, as chair of the Sub-GTT, will also form a Data and Safety Monitoring Committee, whose role will be important in monitoring the safety of vaccines under the WHO Solidarity Trials while the study is ongoing.

The DOH Office of Communication and Health Promotion has also developed a comprehensive communication plan with the help of DOST, the Philippines Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB), PGH, and other interested agencies to inform the general public. about trials; promote transparency, cautious optimism, global cooperation, volunteerism and ownership, and ethics in relation to upcoming clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines.