PH gov’t, US drug firm Novavax sign supply deal for 30 million vaccines

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed Novavax logo in this illustration taken, October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has signed a supply agreement with American drugmaker Novavax for 30 million doses of its anti-Covid vaccines, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.

The vaccine deal was the result of Galvez’s trip to India last week to secure vaccine doses from Novavax, which he said is expected to be delivered to the country by the third or fourth quarter of the year.

“Naging maganda ang resulta ng pagbiyahe natin sa India no’ng isang linggo. Doon, napirmahan na namin ang supply agreement kung saan ang Serum Institute of India ay magsu-supply ng 30 million doses ng Novavax sa ating bansa,” he said in a Palace briefing.

(The trip to India was successful since we were able to sign the supply agreement where the Serum Institute of India will supply our country 30 million Novavax dose.)

The doses will be manufactured in India.

Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine has yet to secure an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

Apart from Novavax, the Philippines and India are in talks for the supply of eight million or more doses of Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine developed in India.

The Philippines has been rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination program using 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines from China and 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility.

JPV