DOST: Study on COVID-19 vaccine mixing seen to start in June

A local study on the mixing of COVID-19 vaccine brands is expected to start in June this year, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Monday.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said the DOST must first obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board.

The study, which is seen to run until November 2022, will study the safety and immunogenicity of combining the Sinovac jab with a different COVID-19 vaccine brand.

“Combinations of [the] Sinovac vaccine with other vaccine brands will be the main aim of the study due to it being the most stable vaccine supply in the country,” de la Peña said in a statement.

The proposed study sites are Antipolo or Marikina, Manila, Pasig, Makati or Pasay, Muntinlupa, Quezon City, Cebu, and Davao.

The DOST-funded study will be led by Dr. Michelle De Vera of the Philippine Society for Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

De la Peña said local clinical data that will be generated from the study’s Filipino participants “can serve as the basis for guidelines/policies and what vaccines/vaccine platforms can be mixed.”

“The relevant data generated may provide basis for the guidelines/policies of the DOH (Department of Health) on the vaccination rollout especially during situations of limited vaccine supplies or vaccine shortage,” he added.

The head of the Vaccine Expert Panel earlier said there was “no issue” in mixing COVID-19 vaccine brands from an immunological standpoint. 

Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, also said mixing vaccine brands is generally safe but “not really recommended.”

The DOH said the government will stick to one vaccine brand for both doses while studies are underway. 

The Philippines has administered over 4 million doses of the Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sputnik V jabs as of May 22, still far from its goal of vaccinating 50 million to 70 million people this year. —Julia Mari Ornedo/KBK, GMA News