MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers are moving to allow the government to immediately purchase coronavirus vaccines even if they are yet to undergo final clinical trials in a bid to fast-track procurement once the cure to the dreaded disease is available.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said legislators inserted a waiver in the Bayanihan to Recover as One bill (Bayanihan II) that will overrule the Universal Health Care Act, which bars the government from buying drugs and vaccines that didn't pass phase 4 trials.
Related Stories
"This means, if the World Health Organization certifies that a vaccine is safe to be administered even if it is yet to clear phase 4, the government is now authorized to buy it," Drilon told DZMM radio in Filipino.
"But before the vaccine can be distributed, it still needs to secure the approval of our (Food and Drug Administration)," he added.
Senators already ratified the bicameral version of Bayanihan II, the Duterte administration's preferred stimulus package, while the House of Representatives will follow suit on Monday, August 24. Once the ratification is completed, the P165.5 billion economic rescue plan will be sent to President Rodrigo Duterte for his signature.
The bill will extend Duterte's special power to reallocate funds worth P140 billion in the current budget to bankroll coronavirus programs.
The measure also provides for an additional P25.5 billion "stand by fund" that the government can spend if there are new revenue sources. Of this amount, P10 billion will be used to buy test kits, medicines and vaccines.
The Philippines is among the nations that are closely watching the coronavirus vaccine race as the country faces a resurgence of infections since its economy reopened June.
The country became more optimistic after Russia announced it developed the first COVID-19 vaccine called "Sputnik V", which triggered alarm bells among Western scientists who warned against administering it since it has not yet cleared third phase of development that gauges a vaccine’s efficacy on a broader population.
That said, the Russia-funded vaccine may not be available until May next year, when Duterte himself will receive a shot after the completion of third phase of trials, parts of which will happen in the Philippines from October 2020 to March 2021.