Philippines approves Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use

Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V has been approved for emergency use in the Philippines, making it the fourth vaccine to receive regulatory approval in the country.

“It is decided that all conditions for an EUA (emergency use authorization) are present and that the benefit of using the vaccine outweighs the known and potential risks,” Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Eric Domingo said in a briefing on Friday.

Domingo said the Sputnik V vaccine can only be used on  individuals aged 18 years and older.

“The study was done in people 18 years and above. About 1/4 of them had comorbidities and a big group, around 10%, was senior citizens. It showed that the efficacy of the drug was quite uniform among all age groups,” he said.

At a press briefing in Malacañang, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines will purchase three million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.

Galvez told a Palace news conference that the procurement will be for April.

Inspection trip canceled

The FDA earlier canceled its inspection trip to Russia after Sputnik V's manufacturer, Gamaleya Institute, submitted additional documents for its application. 

The Russian vaccine showed 91.6% efficacy in a late-stage trial. 

The Sputnik V is the latest vaccine to receive an EUA in the Philippines after the vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

The Philippines launched its mass vaccination program on March 1 with the rollout of 600,000 Sinovac doses.

Galvez earlier said the government would place an initial order for 5 to 10 million Sputnik V doses once it receives an EUA. 

A total of 240,297 health workers, the top priority in the vaccine rollout, have been inoculated as of Tuesday.  — KBK/RSJ, GMA News