The Department of Health (DOH) said that local experts studied the data of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine before approving its emergency use in the Philippines.

Based on a report from Agence France Presse, the Sputnik V vaccine has yet to secure an approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Ibig sabihin, wala sa emergency use list niya. Pero since nabigyan naman siya ng regulatory agencies all over the world ng go-signal, inaral din ito ng ating DOH at Food and Drug Administration kaya tinutuloy natin itong ibigay sa ating mga kababayan (This means it's not yet included in the emergency use list . But since regulatory agencies all over the world have given their go-signal, our DOH and Food and Drug Administration have also studied it, so we continue to give it to our countrymen),” said Cabotaje in a public briefing on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

When asked if there is a need to put on hold the use of Sputnik V vaccine in the Philippines pending the WHO approval, Cabotaje said there is no need.

“We don’t see any reason why we should put it on hold. May liberty, may freedom naman ang country to vaccinate kung ano ang gusto niyang i-vaccinate basta pumasa sa ating Philippine FDA (the country has the freedom to vaccinate what it wants to vaccinate as long as it passes of our Philippine FDA),” she said.

She also cited the case of the use of the Sinovac vaccine during the early part of the Philippines’ COVID-19 vaccination program.

“Kagaya nung Sinovac, nung nag umpisa tayo, wala pa sa emergency use list ang Sinovac. Pero nung lumaon ay na-include na rin sa emergency use list ng WHO (For example with Sinovac, when we started , Sinovac was not on emergency use list. But later on, it was also included in the WHO emergency use list),” she explained.

To note, WHO has already listed the Pfizer-BioNTech, Astrazeneca, Serum Institute of India, Janssen, Moderna, Sinovac, and Sinopharm vaccines for emergency use.

The Philippine FDA has granted an EUA to Sputnik V vaccine last March 19. The FDA then said it has “an overall efficacy of 91.6 percent in preventing COVID-19 and the efficacy rate is consistent to all age groups—aged 18 and older” based on its interim data.

Meanwhile, the single-shot Sputnik Light vaccine was granted an EUA last Aug. 23.

Based on a statement of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Sputnik V vaccine was already approved for emergency use in these countries: Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Guyana, Egypt, Honduras, Guatemala, Moldova, Slovakia, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, and Sri Lanka.

Other nations include: Laos, Iraq, North Macedonia, Kenya, Morocco, Jordan, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Cameroon, Seychelles, Mauritius, Vietnam, Antigua and Barbuda, Mali, Panama, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Turkey, Albania, Maldives, Ecuador, Brazil, Nigeria, Chile Indonesia, and Cambodia.

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