FDA says China's Sinopharm applied for emergency use of COVID-19 vaccine

MANILA, Philippines — China’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm submitted an application for the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines, the country’s Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

“An online application was filed yesterday afternoon and the FDA is checking the contents of the submission now,” FDA Director General Eric Domingo told Philstar.com.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced Monday that Sinopharm filed an application for EUA in the country. Domingo, however, said he had no information about the matter at the time.

The FDA chief earlier said it may take more than 21 days before the agency can decide on the application of the Chinese drugmaker.

“Maybe a month, around four to six weeks because Sinopharm has yet to receive EUA from a stringent regulatory authority or from the World Health Organization,” Domingo said.

Sinopharm reported that its vaccine was 79.3% effective in preventing COVID-19, lower than the reported efficacy rates of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna of 95% and 94.1%, respectively.

So far, only the vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Sinovac Biotech have obtained emergency use authorization from the FDA. The EUA application of Russia’s Gamaleya Institute for its Sputnik V vaccine remains pending.

Duterte’s preference

The jab developed by Sinopharm is the one preferred by President Rodrigo Duterte.

It was the same vaccine used by members of the Presidential Security Group, special envoy to China Mon Tulfo, some “Cabinet-level” officials and a senator in an unauthorized vaccine activity last year.

The FDA and the National Bureau of Investigation launched separate investigations into the illegal inoculations. But Domingo told ANC’s Matters of Fact that its probe into the smuggling of COVID-19 vaccines for use of the president’s guards has hit a “blank wall” due to the non-cooperation of PSG personnel.

In February, the FDA issued a “compassionate use license” for Duterte’s security detail to take 10,000 Sinopharm jabs. 

The country finally began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign Monday, with health workers, government officials and uniformed personnel the first in the line to receive donated Sinovac shots.