Philippines to rely on official medical reports before re-evaluating Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

The Philippine government will rely on official medical reports to determine if there is a need to further study Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines following Brazil's move to stop its importation, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.

“Ang kailangan namin ay official report. Kung sa news lang natatanggap ang comment, ang ating [Food and Drug Administration] at Vaccine Expert Panel, they are relying more on peer-reviewed journal,” Galvez said at a Palace briefing.

(What we need is an official report. Our FDA and the Vaccine Expert Panel are relying more on peer-reviewed journal than news reports.)

Galvez’s statement came after Brazilian health regulator's technical staff on Monday recommended against approving imports of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine requested by governors battling against a deadly second wave of the virus.

The recommendations by Anvisa's technical staff will be taken into account by the regulator's board, which will announce its decision later on Monday. Anvisa had previously said there were "critical issues" surrounding the vaccine's effectiveness and safety that needed clarifying.

Galvez also noted that there are no official reports yet from 20 countries that are currently using Sputnik V for their vaccination programs.

In March, the Philippine FDA approved the EUA (emergency use authorization) of the Russian-made vaccine.

The FDA said Sputnik V has 91% efficacy rate.

The first 15,000 doses of Sputnik V were supposed to arrive in the country last Wednesday but due to “logistical challenges” the schedule was moved to  Saturday, May 1. — RSJ, GMA News