COVID-19 vaccines may be commercially available by Q1 of 2022 — FDA
FILE PHOTO: Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — COVID-19 vaccines may become commercially available in the country by the first quarter of 2022, the chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday.
“Yes, that is possible,” FDA Director-General Eric Domingo told INQUIRER.net in a text message when asked to confirm reports that the vaccines may be commercially available by the first quarter of next year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Domingo’s statement comes after the
US FDA
granted full approval for use in people over the age of 16 of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by
Pfizer
. The vaccine has been authorized only for emergency use in the US since December and in the Philippines since January.
On Wednesday, Domingo said the FDA is anticipating that Pfizer would soon submit an application seeking approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for market release in the Philippines. He explained that once the FDA approves Pfizer’s application, the company will be able to market its products locally,
‘Unpleasant event’: Sara Duterte outs President Duterte, Bong Go’s 2022 plans
Senators interpret Duterte’s latest ‘presidential pakulo’ on Duque
Cheered today, COA may lack staff tomorrow
The Philippines has so far administered over
30 million COVID-19 vaccine doses
since the inoculation program started in March, according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday. He said 17.4 million doses were provided as first jabs. Meanwhile, over 13 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against the disease.
/MUF
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
For more news about the novel coronavirus click
here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this
link
.
Read Next
Sydney hospitals erect emergency tents amid Delta surge
EDITORS’ PICK
MOST READ
Don’t miss out on the latest news and information.
View comments