MANILA, Philippines — Belgium-based Janssen Pharmaceuticals is set to begin its Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials in the Philippines this week, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Thursday.
“Ang nadinig ko pong plano, dahil ito po ay sila naman ang nagiimplement, tinutulungan lang natin sila magidentify ng mga lugar kung saan gagawin yung trials, mukhang mauuna ang Janssen at within this week ay maguumpisa na sila,” DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña said in a televised briefing.
(The plan that I heard, since they implement this and we only help them identify areas to conduct the trials, it looks like Janssen will be first and they will start within this week.)
Dela Peña said Chinese firms Clover Biopharmaceuticals and Sinovac Biotech, which were also allowed to hold clinical trials in the country, will begin within February or by March.
Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, was the first firm to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration to conduct a clinical trial in the country.
The target trial sites for Janssen are the following:
-San Pablo, Laguna
-Cabuyao, Laguna
-Makati City
-La Paz, Iloilo
-Bacolod City
-Metro Manila