The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has welcomed Moscow’s openness to produce the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccines in the country.
DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina Guevara, who leads the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG-VES), cheered at Russia’s willingness to partner with local pharmaceutical firms to manufacture the Sputnik V vaccines.
"This is a very good development towards the country's vaccine security,” she told the Manila Bulletin in a VIber message after Kirill Dmitriev, chief-executive-officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said in a television interview last week that they were “open to produce our vaccine in the Philippines.”
Dmitriev said the production of Sputnik V Gam-Cov-Vac COVID-19 vaccine can start "within the next four to five months if Philippine partners move in the right speed with us.”
On Friday, March 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Sputnik V, which was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology through the support of RDIF
"Part of our work in the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection is to encourage local manufacturing of vaccines, not just for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) but for other types of vaccines that are currently being imported,” Guevara said.
The DOST official said over the weekend that four local pharmaceutical firms have expressed interest to go into manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly on a fill-and-finish vaccine manufacturing arrangements.
During the 39th founding anniversary celebration of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) on March 17, she noted that as early as March 2020, DOST has started to coordinate with some of its international partners to initiate collaborative talks on vaccine development.
Guevara said the Sub-TWG on Vaccine Development has been coordinating with members of the local pharmaceutical industry that expressed interest to go into production of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly on a fill-and-finish vaccine manufacturing arrangements.
Under a fill-and-finish vaccine manufacturing arrangements, the country will import the vaccines and put them in a vial, ampule or single-shot syringe for commercial distribution.