Roque: Sinopharm doses donated by China yet to be returned

The Palace has yet to set a date when the 1,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine will be returned to donating country China to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders.

Duterte ordered the vaccines returned after he drew flak for getting inoculated with the Sinopharm vaccine despite the absence of an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Hindi pa po [naibabalik], sa aking pagkakaalam ‘no, kasi kakabigay lang naman ng order ng Presidente at kinakailangan ayusin ang logistics diyan,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

(No there is no date of return yet as far as I know… because the President just gave the order and we need to fix the logistical requirements for that.)

However, Roque believed that the Sinopharm vaccine would soon receive an emergency use authorization from the FDA given that the World Health Organization had included the vaccine in its emergency use listing (EUL), and the Department of Health had filed an EUA for Sinopharm based on the WHO’s approval.

“So, sa tingin ko puwede naman pong mabilisan ang proseso dahil po sa WHO pronouncement on Sinopharm baka mapabilis rin po ang pag-issue ng EUA sa Sinopharm dito sa ating bayan,” Roque added.

(I would say the process in securing an EUA for Sinopharm will go smoothly given the WHO pronouncement.)

Roque earlier said that the first dose of Sinopharm received by President Duterte last week was part of the 1,000 doses of Sinopharm donated by China.

Roque justified the vaccination by saying it was the vaccine brand recommended by the President’s doctors.

However, Roque had no information on when the donated Sinopharm vaccine arrived in the country.

It was only in February this year that the FDA granted a compassionate use permit for 10,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine for the use of Presidential Security Group members.

A compassionate use permit, however, only allows for legal administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines and is not tantamount to the FDA endorsing the product’s safety and efficacy. — DVM, GMA News