FDA says COVID-19 vaccine makers working on Halal certification

COVID-19 vaccine makers are working on securing Halal certification for their products, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said Thursday.

Domingo made the remark in responding to concerns raised by the Bangsamoro Region leaders that the COVID-19 vaccine should have halal certification.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos defines "halal" in Arabic to mean "permissible" and refers to food and non-food products that are lawful for consumption.

Also, based on Shari’ah law, the concept covers other transactions including banking, finance and other activities Islam believers are engaged in.

“We have asked for that information sa ating mga applicant,” Domingo said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“Iyong Pfizer-BioNTech, they are working on Halal certification. Iyong AstraZeneca, meron silang certification na walang animal product o animal source ang kanilang bakuna, but they are still working on their Halal certification,” Domingo added.

So far, the FDA has issued emergency use authorization (EUA) to COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, and AstraZeneca-Oxford University.

Pfizer-BioNTech showed an efficacy rate of 95% and 92% in its study population and among all races, respectively based on FDA's evaluation.

AstraZeneca, for its part, was found to have a 70% efficacy rate after the first dose—a rating that goes higher depending on the interval of giving the second dose—after FDA scrutiny.

Other COVID-19 vaccine makers with pending EUA application before FDA include Sinovac, Gamaleya, and Bharat BioTech.

Domingo said that only Sinovac has secured Halal certification so far but the FDA is not yet done reviewing the results of its human trials, which the Chinese company only submitted last January 19.

Sinovac's efficacy rate after human trials abroad, however, vary from 50% to 91%.

As of Wednesday, the Philippines recorded 518,407 COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 475,542 recovered and 10,481 died. The number of active COVID-19 cases is at 32,384. —LBG, GMA News