FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
MANILA, Philippines — Two US pharmaceutical firms are willing to supply COVID-19 vaccines to the country in the third quarter of next year, the Philippines’ envoy to the US said Friday.
“I am pleased to report that, aside from Pfizer, Moderna and Arcturus are ready to supply the Philippines anywhere between 4-25M [million] of their respective vaccines starting Q3 2021, should the Philippine government find their proposals acceptable,” Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez said in a statement posted on the Philippine Embassy in the USA Twitter.
“We are hoping our government will consider the promising candidates of Moderna and Arcturus for inclusion in our country’s pool of anti-COVID vaccines,” he added.
READ: Ambassador Romualdez on possibility of Moderna and Arcturus vaccine supply to PH
Moderna dossier to the US FDA: https://t.co/sfhbFDAy4hhttps://t.co/IpYM7Ztg5h@DFAPHL @pnagovph @PIADesk @dndphl @DOHgovph @pcooglobalmedia
@pcoogov pic.twitter.com/hqPqXoQb8C— Philippine Embassy in the USA (@philippinesusa) December 17, 2020
In a Reuters report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it endorsed the emergency use of Moderna Inc. vaccine which means it could be a second option to protect individuals from COVID-19.
Moderna’s vaccine does not require specialized cold storage, which will make it easier to supply rural and remote areas in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Arcturus, another biotech firm in the US, is also producing its own COVID-19 vaccine.
Recently, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was in hot water after he allegedly failed to submit the documents necessary for the Philippines to secure a COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer/BioNTech.