MANILA, Philippines — Three COVID-19 vaccine developers have submitted applications to conduct clinical trials in the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology said Tuesday.
DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said the government’s task group on vaccine evaluation and selection has received new COVID-19 vaccine trial applications from the following firms:
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- West China Hospital and Sichuan University
- China-based Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co.
- South Korean-based Eubiologics Co. Ltd.
“Evaluation of the first two new applications are ongoing, while Eubiologics Co. Ltd [is] still completing some requirements,” Guevara said in a briefing hosted by the Department of Health.
Guevara did not announce other details such as the vaccine platform of the trial applicants and the subjects of the studies.
Reuters reported the vaccine deveoped by West China Hospital and Sichuan University uses coronavirus protein produced in insect cells to trigger immune response, while the jab made by Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. utilizes inactivated coronavirus that cannot replicate in human cells. The one developed by Eubiologics Co. Ltd. is a protein subunit vaccine.
Firms interested in conducting Phase 3 clinical trials of their vaccines in the country need to pass the evaluation of the vaccine expert panel chaired by the DOST and the review of the Single Joint Research Ethics Board. If they do, the Food and Drug Administration will assess their applications.
Approved trials
To date, the FDA has approved three late-stage clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
Guevara said the trials of Belgian firm Janssen Phamaceuticals and Clover Biopharmaceuticals are ongoing.
Meanwhile, China’s Sinovac Biotech has yet to start its trial. The drug regulator is awaiting the submission of the firm’s protocol amendment.
The DOST is also awaiting the final protocol and list of vaccines from the World Health Organization so the Solidarity Vaccine Trials may be applied with the ethics board and the FDA for approval.
Since the start of the inoculation drive in March, only 949,939 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while over 3.1 million have received their first dose.