Coronavirus Vaccines

Manila clears way for quick use of vaccine

Preparations begin for mass vaccination

PHOTO: REUTERS

MANILA • Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order yesterday granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to clear Covid-19 drugs and vaccines for emergency use.

The country wants to start immunising 25 million people next year, hoping to restore some normalcy after nearly nine months of at times harsh restrictions, and prevent the economy from sinking deeper into recession.

The FDA can now grant emergency-use authorisation if there is reason to believe the drug or vaccine may be effective in preventing, diagnosing or treating Covid-19, and if the potential benefits outweigh possible risks.

Emergency-use authorisations will also be issued if there is "no adequate, approved and available alternative to the drug or vaccine".

With the newly signed order, a vaccine can be approved for use within a month instead of undergoing the usual six-month review period.

The Philippines, which has the second-most number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in South-east Asia, is racing to lock in vaccine supplies as it targets to immunise a third of its 108 million population.

The Department of Health yesterday reported 1,438 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number in the country to 434,357. The death toll climbed to 8,436 after 18 more patients died.

The Philippines has been in talks with at least four vaccine makers about supply deals and has so far secured more than two million Covid-19 shots from AstraZeneca. The British drugmaker's vaccine still has to be approved by regulators.

REUTERS, XINHUA

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 03, 2020, with the headline Manila clears way for quick use of vaccine. Subscribe