FDA approves emergency use of Hayat-Vax COVID-19 vaccine

MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued on Wednesday an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Hayat-Vax COVID-19 vaccine, which is similar to the Sinopharm shot but was packaged in the United Arab Emirates.

FDA director Eric Domingo said the vaccine was also manufactured by China’s state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm and is identical to the Sinopharm vaccine.

“The FDA issued today a EUA for the vaccines donated by the UAE. The vaccine is identical to the Sinopharm vaccine from China that is included in the WHO EUL (emergency use listing),” he told INQUIRER.net in a text message.

“Sinopharm din ang manufacturer. Ang packaging lang [ang] sa UAE, ang pangalan, Hayat-Vax. (Can be used) for 18 and up,” he added.

(Sinopharm is the manufacturer. The packaging was done in the UAE. The name is Hayat-Vax. It can be used for people aged 18 and above.)

Earlier in the day, it was reported that 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines donated by the UAE arrived in the Philippines.

Sinopharm already has an approved EUA for the China-made vaccine as early as June.

Aside from Sinopharm and Hayat-Vax, COVID-19 vaccines so far approved for emergency use in the Philippines are those made by Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Bharat Biotech, and Sinovac.

JE