MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday clarified that it has not given any authorization to use any COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
It also reminded the public to be extremely cautious about unaccredited vaccines that are being advertised as safe and effective against the virus.
“As of date, the FDA has not issued any Emergency Use Authorization to any vaccine for COVID-19. Without the proper authorization, there is no guarantee on the safety, quality and efficacy of said vaccine as the same has not undergone the required technical evaluation by FDA,” FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said in a statement.
The statement came after President Rodrigo Duterte in his address on Saturday claimed that many people in the Philippines have already received the COVID-19 vaccine of China’s Sinopharm.
Duterte also detailed that some members of the military were also inoculated.
According to the FDA, the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of the unauthorized vaccine is against the law.
Domingo, in an earlier interview, vowed to go after distributors of “illegal and unregistered” COVID-19 vaccines.
“Rest assured that the FDA is observing utmost diligence in the regulation of vaccines. Vaccines will only be approved if there is reasonable scientific evidence to show that benefit outweighs risk,” the FDA chief said.
“We will concentrate on making sure that only vaccines that pass standards will be made available to the public,” he added.