Lawmakers have joined a senior citizens federation in lauding the Food and Drugs Authority for  showing its concern to elderly Filipinos and medical frontliners by advising government against administering Sinovac’s vaccine to them.

Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate and Kabayan Partylist Rep. Ron Salo have raised serious concern over the FDA advisory that appeared to cast doubts about the efficacy of the China-made vaccine.

"The FDA has already given the EUAs to Pfizer Biontech and Astrazenica way ahead. But, it seems Duque, Galvez, et. al. again dropped the ball by not working immediately on the indemnification fund required by the manufacturers, a requirement that certainly they knew very well since the other countries also complied with it,” said Zarate.

On the other hand, Salo welcomed FDA’s recommendation.

“I see wisdom in FDA’s recommendation not to administer Sinovac to senior citizens and health frontliners  after undertaking a thorough review of the documents and clinical studies submitted by the manufacturer.,” explained Salo, member of the House Committee on Health.

A former official of the Department of Health, Salo stated:  “As belonging to the most vulnerable population and because of the level of health risks they are exposed to, the vaccines to be given to our senior citizens and health frontlliners must not only be of proven quality and safety, but of high efficacy to ensure that they will be adequately protected.“

According to Salo, the FDA recommendation has taken into account the 
“fact that there are already other available vaccines granted with emergency use authorization that are able to provide higher level of protection to these vulnerable groups.”

Quezon City Councilor Jorge Banal, president of the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines (FeSCAP), said the organization believes the FDA advise is founded on “solid scientific grounds and aimed only at protecting the country’s seniors and health frontlliners.”

Banal noted that aside from questions about its efficacy at preventing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection, Sinovacs vaccine is also “more expensive.”

For his part, Lanao del Norte Rep. Khalid Dimaporo is concerned that the FDA recommendation would serve only to “contradict the national government’s task of convincing the general public to get vaccinated.”

“However, at the very least, it can be used as an initial roll out to vaccinate other stakeholders such as the PNP, AFP, local government officials and employees as a means  to begin the National Vaccination Program while waiting for more effective vaccines to be readily available in the country,” explained Dimaporo.

Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod partylist Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano chided the FDA for contradicting itself by issuing an Emergency Use Authorization to Sinovac’s vaccine while warning against its efficacy.

“It's very complicated because according to FDA director general Eric Domingo, the vaccine is 91 percent effective in Turkey, 65.3 percent in Indonesia but it registered only 50.4 efficacy among medical frontliners in Brazil, the minority leader said, adding that regardless of the conflicting results of clinical trials, the fact remains that FDA had issued an EUA to Sinovac,” said Paduano.

He added: “Rather than shed light on the use of the vaccine, the FDA has further eroded public trust and confidence in inoculation.”