Philippines FDA issues emergency use authorization for Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinopharm. 

FDA director general Dr. Eric Domingo said the agency's experts had reviewed the Sinopharm's application and its application was approved on Monday.

The World Health Organization in early May approved the Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.  It was the first Chinese jab to receive the WHO's green light.

The UN health agency signed off on the two-dose vaccine, which is already being deployed in dozens of countries around the world.

The WHO has already given emergency use listing to the vaccines being made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, and the AstraZeneca jab being produced at separate sites in India and in South Korea.

The Department Health has said that Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine had undergo the usual regulatory process despite its EUL from the WHO.

Health Secretary Francisco has since ordered the filing for an EUA with the FDA for donated Sinopharm vaccines.

Duque on May 3 gave President Rodrigo Duterte a shot of Sinopharm's vaccine versus COVID-19. 

Sinopharm's application for EUA which was filed in March was still pending when Duterte received the jab. 

The FDA issued in February a compassionate use permit for 10,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines for the use of the Presidential Security Group.

Some members of PSG received COVID-19 shots donated to them as early as September or October last year, PSG commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante III said in December.

Durante made the admission after Duterte claimed during a televised address that some members of the military received shots of COVID-19 vaccine supposedly manufactured by  Sinopharm.

Last January 27, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said the probe on PSG members getting inoculated with unregistered COVID-19 vaccine has hit a blank wall after their queries went unanswered by the PSG. --NB, GMA News