The Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG-VES) is expecting that "two or three more” vaccine developers will apply for an emergency use authorization (EUA) of their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in the Philippines.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who leads the TG-VES, said more vaccine manufacturers were expected to file their EUA application before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Two or three more,” she told the Manila Bulletin in a Viber message when asked on the number of vaccine developers that will apply for EUA of their COVID-19 vaccines.
She said while, they were expecting more applicants, “we might not have any EUA approvals this month.”
Guevara noted that it takes longer than one week for the FDA to process EUA applications.
When asked if Moderna’s use of mRNA technology platform will be considered by the FDA before granting EUA to Moderna, the TG-VES chief said, “There is enough documentation on mRNA platform so the FDA will be able to process this, just like the other EUA applications.”
The TG-VES is composed of the DOST, FDA, Department of Health (DOH), Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Trade and Industry - Board of Investments (DTI-BOI) and the National Development Company (NOC).
The task group provides recommendations on which vaccines will be considered for negotiation and procurement by evaluating: safety, efficacy and other relevant data from clinical trials, existing evidence and updates on vaccine development, and international recommendations on vaccine use.
According to data from the Department of Health (DOH), Moderna vaccine uses an mRNA technology platform.
It has an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent against symptomatic COVID-19, while 100 percent “against severe COVID-19”, it showed.
The DOST welcomed the decision of US-based drugmaker Moderna to apply for an EUA of its COVID-19 vaccine in the country on Monday, April 26.