Sinovac needs ethics review, FDA approval before COVID vaccine trials — DOST

In this picture taken on April 29, 2020, an engineer shows an experimental vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus that was tested at the Quality Control Laboratory at the Sinovac Biotech facilities in Beijing. – Sinovac Biotech, which is conducting one of the four clinical trials that have been authorized in China, has claimed great progress in its research and promising results among monkeys. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)  

MANILA, Philippines — China’s Sinovac Biotech will have to submit and ethics research and  secure Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval before starting trials in the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Friday.

“For Sinovac, I have reported that our vaccine expert panel  has already reviewed [it] and have a go signal so that the only thing they await is ethics research before endorsing to FDA who will then make a final approval for the clinical trials,” DOST Director Fortunato Dela Peña said in an online press briefing about updates on COVID-19 vaccine trials in the country.

After securing FDA approval, Dela Peña said the trial for the China-made vaccine will be implemented by Philippine-based research organizations.

“Once they receive final approval of a clinical trial from FDA, the implementation will be fully undertaken by their local contract research organization that can facilitate and help them in the actual implementation of vaccine trials,” the DOST chief said.

“We hope that they [Sinovac] have already selected the contract research organizations. This is Philippine-based organizations,” Dela Peña added.

On Thursday, FDA said a vaccine trial for Sinovac is possible in November after the Chinese drug maker’s application for phase three of clinical trials passed the initial stage of Philippine’s screening process.

President Rodrigo Duterte previously said he preferred that COVID-19 vaccines should be manufactured by either China or Russia.

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