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Philippines eyeing local vaccine production, says Galvez


The Philippines is in talks with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to study the possibility of local vaccine production, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Wednesday.

Galvez, who recently returned from India where he signed a deal for 30 million Novavax doses, said the Philippines can take its cue from its Asian neighbor on how to produce vaccines locally.

“Tayo po ay nakipag-usap sa SII upang pag-aralan ang posibilidad na ibalik ang kakayahan ng ating bansa na makapag-produce ng sarili nitong bakuna,” he said during Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

(We spoke with SII to study the possibility of bringing back the country’s capability to produce its own vaccines.)

“Ang ganda po ng SII. Meron silang 136 na scientists at gusto nilang tulungan tayo na tayo ay makapag-produce ng sarili nating bakuna."

(The SII has 136 scientists and they want to help us produce our own vaccines.)

The SII is considered the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. It is also the main supplier of British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 jab. 

Galvez expressed optimism that the Philippines can bring back the vaccine production capability that it had in 1938 to ensure a steady and stable supply of vaccines amid the pandemic.

He added that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine presented a three-year program for the expansion of its vaccine research and development.

“Napakaganda… It will require an economy of scale investment. Para sa 'tin po talaga na magkaroon ng definitive na source ng vaccine,” he said.

(It was really good. It will require an economy of scale investment. This is really for us to have a definitive source of vaccines.)

The Philippines, the last country in Southeast Asia to begin COVID-19 vaccinations, has so far inoculated 240,297 health workers

The government aims to begin the vaccination of the general public next month. —KG, GMA News

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