United Kingdom-based pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca will no longer push through with clinical trials for its COVID-19 candidate vaccine in the Philippines, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.
FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique Domingo said that Astrazeneca has already withdrawn its application..
"Yes. They said they have enough data already," Domingo said in a text message.
To note, Astrazeneca has applied to hold Phase III clinical trials in the country. It already passed the evaluation of the Philippines’ Single Joint Review Ethics Board -- one of three stages of evaluation before a clinical trial can commence.
Last month, the country signed a supply deal with Astrazeneca for at least 2.6 million doses of its candidate vaccine.
Among the vaccine developers applying for a clinical trial in the Philippines, Clover Biopharmaceuticals and Sinovac Biotech from China, have already secured approval from the country’s Vaccine Experts Panel and the Single Joint Review Ethics Board.
The two Chinese firms still need to secure a clearance from the FDA.
