Palace: Duterte to wait for Sinopharm’s vaccine to secure EUA

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will wait for China state-owned Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine to secure an emergency use authorization (EUA) from regulators before receiving its jab, Malacañang said Tuesday.

“Mag-aantay po si Presidente ng EUA dahil nabalita ko nga po kahapon na meron na pong nag-apply for the EUA of Sinopharm. So magaantay na lang siya ng approval ng Sinopharm,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.

(The President will wait for the EUA because like I said yesterday that Sinopharm already applied for an EUA. So he will wait for the approval of Sinopharm.)

Malacañang will no longer seek inclusion of the President in the compassionate use license of Sinopharm issued to the Presidential Security Group (PSG) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Roque added.

READ: Palace eyes compassionate use license for Duterte’s Sinopharm shots

Sinopharm’s EUA application is now under FDA’s evaluation.

Duterte expressed preference for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm, Roque had said.

Last year, the PSG admitted using unauthorized vaccines to inoculate some of their members as early as September.

Columnist Mon Tulfo also recently admitted he was vaccinated against Covid-19 using Sinopharm in October 2020 along with other officials. The FDA has since said it will probe Tulfo’s vaccination.

JE