No definite date has been set for the procurement of Russian-made COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) Sputnik V while both Manila and Moscow are discussing a possible government-to-government” deal, Philippine Ambassador to Moscow Carlos Soreta said on Monday.
Soreta said the Philippines is waiting for additional information on the technical data of Sputnik V from the Russian side before they can sit down and sign a term sheet.
“It’s hard to give a hard date on it but we’re constantly asking for the follow-up on the information from the Russian side,” Soreta said during the regular Palace virtual press briefing.
There are over 30 countries that have already signed an agreement with Russia for the Sputnik V procurement while 50 other countries are lined up in the list, according to Soreta.
The main priority at the moment, he said, is to obtain the Russian vaccines because “these are only manufactured once an order has been placed.”
“The turnaround time is relatively fast, in fact, they’re supplying 30 countries now. If we make a decision soon and give the approval, I think the vaccines can come in a fairly quick amount of time,” he said.
As of this time, Soreta said no private partner in the Philippines is formally recognized to distribute the Russian-made vaccine, contrary to an earlier pronouncement made by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that the private sector is “ all ready” to bring Sputnik V to the country.
“There is still no private partner for the Philippines to put it. I’d like to assure you that this will not be a hindrance if we decide to get the Sputnik. It will be a government-to-government transaction,” Soreta stressed.
Last week, Locsin said he talked to the Russians via Zoom about Sputnik V’s entry to the Philippines through the private sector. His discussions with the Russians came shortly after The Lancet, the world’s most prestigious peer-review journal, published an interim analysis of Sputnik V’s phase 3 clinical trial which logged a 91 percent overall efficacy and 100 percent for severe cases.
Also last week, Russian Embassy officials in Manila assured the House Committee on People’s Participation that together with their local distribution partner, Olivia Limpe-aw, president of Destileria Limtuaco, a leading liquor manufacturer, they will cooperate in the submission of Philippine government requirements for the procurement of the vaccine.
During the House hearing, Food and Drug Administrator Eric Domingo told the panel that they need a letter of authorization from the Russian vaccine manufacturer, Gamaleya, through the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, authorizing Limpe-aw as their local representative to sign documents on their behalf.
Sputnik V is developed and manufactured by the Russian government-funded institution, Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.