A total of 90 participants of the country’s “Mix and Match” (MnM) study have already received their first dose of vaccines against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Friday, Dec. 10.
DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said of the 103 enrolled participants, 90 got their first dose.
“The trial totals 90 participants already vaccinated with their first dose out of the study target of 3,000 participants,” she told the Manila Bulletin in an interview on Friday.
“The study plans to vaccinate some of the participants with their second doses next week.”
The 18 month-long study seeks to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of mixing different coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines and vaccine platforms in Filipino adults. The project team is led by Dr. Michelle De Vera of the Philippine Society for Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (PISAAI).
Guevara said as of Dec. 9, three out of the five study sites “have been activated and are recruiting.” These include the cities of Markina, Muntinlupa, and Manila.
She said 51 individuals have been screened in Marikina City and of this number, 42 were enrolled and got inoculated.
“Muntinlupa City has screened 42 participants with 28 subjects successfully screened and vaccinated, while Manila has already screened 38 subjects with 20 of those vaccinated.”
The DOST official said the project team recorded six dropouts in the three study sites.
“Dropouts were due to the following reasons: previously confirmed COVID-19 which excludes the participant/s from the trial, high blood pressure, unable to leave the house due to childcare, among others,” Guevara said.
The MnM study has been given a total budget of P204.19 million under the DOST-Grants-in-Aid (GIA) program. It secured FDA's approval on Nov. 16.
The study is aimed at determining the safety and immunogenicity of completing the vaccination series with available COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines in those given Sinovac as the first dose.
The trial likewise seeks to analyze whether those who already completed the dosing regimen for Sinovac will have a better immune response after the immunization of a booster dose from a different vaccine platform or brand.
Locally available vaccines under the National Immunization Program have been used in the trial. These include Sinovac, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna.