MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will conduct the Phase 3 of clinical trials of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine from October 2020 to March 2021, Malacañang said Thursday.
In a Palace press briefing, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the conduct of the trials will be funded by the Russian government and will be done simultaneously in Manila and Moscow.
During Phase 3 of the clinical trials, thousands of patients will have to be vaccinated to test its safety and efficacy.
By April 2021, the vaccine is expected to be approved by the Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Roque noted.
“Sa Abril inaasahan pong marerehistro ang vaccine ng Russia sa Food and Drug Administration, at ibig sabihin po sa Maya a-uno 2021 pa lamang pwedeng magpasaksak ng bakuna galing sa Russia ang ating Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Roque said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier announced Moscow has approved and registered a vaccine for COVID-19, which has now infected more than 20 million people.
While some, including President Duterte, are upbeat about the development, some questions the vaccine’s safety and efficacy due to Russia’s lack of transparency over the supposed scientific breakthrough.
Duterte, in a speech aired Monday night, even volunteered himself to be the first one to be “experimented” on using the vaccine.
He also expressed confidence about the effectiveness of Russia’s vaccine, which he said will be ready by December, when “the Philippines will be free of COVID-19 and will be able to enjoy a peaceful Christmas.”
As of Wednesday, there are 143,749 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, including 68,997 recoveries, and 2,404 deaths.