Gov’t OKs PH participation in clinical trials for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

MANILA, Philippines — The government has approved the recommendation to allow the Philippines to participate in different clinical trials to come up with a vaccine against the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) signed Resolution No. 39 series of 2020 on Friday, which approves the endorsement of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for the Philippines to collaborate with the Chinese Academy of Science in Guangzhou Institute of Health, SinoPharma in Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, and Beijing Institute for a vaccine’s clinical trials.

Under the resolution, which was made public on Saturday, the Philippines will also team up with Taiwanese vaccine manufacturers Adimmune Corporation and Academia Sinica for clinical trials of another vaccine.

IATF said the collaborating organizations will be provided with the “World Health Organization (WHO) requirements for COVID-19 Vaccine Target Product Profiles; Pre-qualification process for WHO approvals and Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated guidelines for clinical trials.”

The government’s task force likewise said the study sites for the vaccine will be identified by the researchers involved in the experiment.

After the clinical testings are done, research documents will form part of “requirements for the vaccine registration process of the FDA for market release in the Philippines.”

IATF, however, required that a sub-technical group led by DOST must coordinate with the Department of Health, FDA, Research Institute of Tropical Medicine, and WHO for updates on the progress of the clinical trials.

IATF further approved DOST’s plan to put up research centers for a Philippine-developed vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, which causes the potentially deadly respiratory illness COVID-19.

DOST proposed the establishment of the Virology S&T Institute in New Clark City in Pampanga as well as the “reactivation” of the Pharmaceutical Development Unit at the DOST Industrial Technology Development Institute.

KGA