Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Secretary Fortunato de la Pena said Friday pharmaceutical companies could hopefully start clinical trials for vaccines against COVID-19 in the country within this month.
“So we hope that by December meron na pasimula (We hope by December there will be clinical trials),” said De la Pena during an interview over CNN Philippines.
The DoST Secretary cited that the pharmaceutical companies which have applied to conduct clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines include Sinovac of China, Gamaleya of Russia, AstraZeneca of Britain, and Janssen of the United States.
“We are not spending for that,” De la Pena assured.
“But they are the ones who hire the contracted research organization who will implement the clinical trial,” he added.
The Science and Technology Secretary pointed out this is different from the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Trials in which the government prepared funds and picked those who will implement the clinical trials.
De la Pena backed the declaration of Food and Drug Authority (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo that vaccines could be available in the Philippines by March once the government grants emergency use authorization (EUA) to pharmaceutical companies.
“There are vaccines actually that may not have to go through clinical trials,” De la Pena said.
“If the FDA in the country involved and the FDA in the Philippines will agree then they can be introduced even without doing the clinical trials here for as long as the data in the clinical trials abroad will be evaluated and found to be acceptable here in the Philippines.”