Medicine distributors have committed to replenish the supply of remdesivir and tocilizumab, which are being used to treat COVID-19 patients, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday, March 24.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that the DOH has already coordinated with Zuellig Pharma and Roche with regards to the supply of tocilizumab.

"We have already communicated with Zuellig and Roche, the distributor of tocilizumab, and they mentioned in a letter formally that the stocks will be arriving this March. It’s coming. I think that we’re just losing some supplies but the new stocks are coming by March so we can definitely access that," said Vega in a press briefing.  

"For remdesivir, the supplies are also coming this March," he added.

The use of the said medicines, as investigational drugs for COVID-19, was allowed through the Compassionate Use Permit being issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In a statement, the DOH said that the "current stocks of remdesivir and tocilizumab are running low," adding that the "remaining supplies being used by select hospitals are donations" from the World Health Organization.

The Health department said it will provide P5 million each to "DOH hospital including specialty hospitals in NCR (National Capital Region), Central Luzon, and Calabarzon" to allow them "to replenish their COVID-19 medicine supply."

"The necessary allocations given to the different hospitals---they can now actually procure or purchase these medicines for their patients," said Vega.

Meanwhile, the DOH and FDA reiterated their position that they are not recommending the use of ivermectin to treat patients afflicted with the viral illness “as the benefits and safety for this purpose have not been established."

The DOH said that ivermectin is currently being used in the country as "prevention of heartworm disease and treatment of internal and external parasites in certain animal species."

"Using these products in humans can cause serious harm. Animal drugs are often highly concentrated and can be highly toxic to humans," it said.

The DOH warned that doctors prescribing ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients might be at risk of losing their license.

"We will submit the names of these doctors to the Professional Regulation Commission. If found guilty, these doctors run the risk of getting their licenses revoked," it said.