Malacañang said that Chinese drug maker Sinopharm has applied for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the announcement as the government rolled out its vaccination program on Monday, March 1.
In a press briefing in Manila, Roque said that Sinopharm has already applied for the EUA after initially saying that the pharmaceutical firm will do so within the day.
However, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Rolando Enrique Domingo said he was not sure if Sinopharm has indeed submitted an application.
Last month, the FDA issued a compassionate use license for 10,000 doses of China's Sinopharm vaccines to be administered to the Presidential Security Group (PSG), a month after Domingo said that the agency can issue a compassionate special permit to inoculate small groups of people involved in critical missions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, Roque said that Malacañang's legal department was studying if President Duterte, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), can be vaccinated with Sinopharm under compassionate use.
So far, the FDA has issued EUAs on AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sinovac.
President Duterte has agreed to be vaccinated in public but Roque said that the President prefers to receive the vaccine manufactured by Chinese drug maker Sinopharm.