Pharma firms urged: Apply for commercial sale of boosters

MANILA, Philippines — Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion is urging vaccine manufacturers to apply for their certificate of product registration (CPR) for COVID-19 vaccines.

In a statement yesterday, Concepcion stressed that it is important to prepare and allow people to make their own decisions on vaccination at a time when positivity rates are low.

“Eventually, COVID-19 will be just like the flu, or pneumonia or shingles, with regular vaccinations available for those who need it. We just have to make sure that the vaccines will be widely available,” he said.

Concepcion said it will be nearly a year since most people received their booster shots, suggesting that there might be waning immunity.

“The government has spent enough for COVID. It is time that the responsibility is shifted to the pharma companies to make these medicines available, and to the individuals to protect themselves by getting vaccinated or boostered,” he said. He added that the pharma companies would be able to generate business from the vaccines that would be sold at a higher price and people will make it part of their regular vaccinations.

“For those who need it, it will be readily available at the clinics and pharmacies,” he said.The Go Negosyo founder explained that while it is understandable that the vaccine manufacturers would prefer to be indemnified against adverse reactions, this can not be a permanent situation. He added that the higher prices for vaccines would cover the costs for any adverse reactions. “This is only expected in the pharma business,” Concepcion said. “For the donated vaccines, it is really up to the government as to which segments of the population they will prioritize. But once we have commercially available vaccines, people can decide for themselves,” he added, emphasizing that the public should be allowed to participate in how they manage their health.

The first batch of donated bivalent vaccines was expected to arrive by the end of March, consisting of 1,002,000 doses which the COVAX Facility committed to the Philippines.