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Manila LGU buys 500 additional vials of Tocilizumab for COVID-19 patients

Philippines

Manila LGU buys 500 additional vials of Tocilizumab for COVID-19 patients

By Noreen Jazul

Five hundred additional vials of Tocilizumab, an experimental drug used to treat COVID-19, purchased by the city government of Manila have been delivered to the city on Tuesday.

Manila City Mayor Francisco 'Isko Moreno' Domagoso and Vice Mayor Ma. Sheilah 'Honey' Lacuna-Pangan show the additional vials of Tocilizumab that arrived in Manila on Tuesday, May 18. (MANILA CITY PIO / MANILA BULLETIN)

The vials will be offered for free to patients admitted to public and private hospitals in Manila, and the city’s six district hospitals, whether they are residents or not of the capital city.

Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said he wants to help as many people as possible in the fight against COVID-19. He and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan inspected the additional vials of Tocilizumab that were delivered on Tuesday.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a universal problem. It has to be approached inclusively," Domagoso said.

Last April 16, Manila received 1,000 vials of Tocilizumab which was purchased by the city government from health care distributor Globo Asiatico.

Manila City General Services Officer Thelma Perez said the city allocated P13 million for the procurement of the Tocilizumab vials to strengthen the city’s response against the pandemic.

Tocilizumab is a drug mainly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is registered as an anti-inflammatory drug in the Philippines.

The Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) through its COVID-19 Living Recommendations suggested the use of tocilizumab as treatment for severe COVID-19 cases.

The drug’s use for COVID-19 treatment was approved by the Department of Health in April, 2020.

Related Tags

covid-19 tocilizumab manila

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