Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III assured the public on Friday that the Department of Health (DOH) will provide a detailed road map for the procurement of a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine.
Duque said that the DOH will ensure seamless rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in the country, disclosing that the Philippines is already in close collaboration and negotiation with several international pharmaceutical companies that are currently the frontrunners in the development of vaccines.
This, as the country recorded a toal of 252,964 infections after 4,040 newly confirmed cases were added to the list of Covid-19 patients. There were 566 recoveries bringing the total number of recoveries to 186,606 with 42 deaths reported. The death toll stood at 4,108.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, meanwhile, said that the identification of the sites for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) solidarity trial for Covid-19 vaccines may push through in the third or fourth week of this month.
In an online media forum, Vergeire said that the target start of the solidarity trials for vaccines will be in the last week of October.
She, however, noted that these are subject to change, especially, if there are “interventions,” or several factors that will lead to the change of schedule. The DOH stressed that it is the WHO that will primarily determine the necessary adjustments and changes.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), through its Resolution 68, has approved the creation of a separate sub-Technical Working Group (sub-TWG) on Vaccine Procurement that will be headed by the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service.
DOH, as a member of the sub-TWG, will determine the appropriate vaccine deployment program, including the vaccine to be procured and the required number of doses.
Prior to the rollout, the country will participate in clinical trials of advanced Covid-19 vaccine candidates.
“The FDA [Food and Drug Administration] together with the DOST [Department of Science and Technology] and the IATF-Sub-Technical Working Group on Vaccine Development are closely monitoring foreign pharmaceutical companies who will conduct local clinical trials here in the country to ensure the vaccine’s quality, safety, and efficacy,” Duque explained.
Once a viable vaccine for procurement is identified, the department will provide a detailed road map for its procurement and rollout, details of which would include its budget, financing scheme, pricing schemes, interim reimbursements of vaccines, clinical trial insurance for side effects, participation fees for volunteers to the testing, and other specific guidelines.
To expedite procurement, DOH, as supported by the Health Technology Assessment Council, FDA and the Philippine Medical Association, also proposed to waive the required Phase IV clinical trials, specifically for Covid-19 vaccines and medications in the Bayanihan II (Bayanihan to Recover as One Act). The bill, including the proposed provision, has passed the Congress and is awaiting signing into law.
“We acknowledge the limitations of the law in meeting the urgent needs to address a pandemic given the severity posed by the SARS-COV-2 virus, particularly in the immediate access to much-needed vaccines. Rest assured that DOH, together with the rest of government and its partners, will act swiftly given the evolving study of the virus and the uncertain development of the situation,” Duque said.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila