Pinoys should be allowed to receive COVID-19 vaccine OK'd abroad -Defensor

Filipinos should be allowed to receive vaccine shots against COVID-19 even if these have yet to be registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as long as they have been approved by reputable institutions in other countries, a party-list representative said on Monday.

Anak Kalusugan party-list Representative Michael Defensor made the remark amid the controversy over the early inoculation of members of the military, the Cabinet, and the Presidential Security Group (PSG) with an unregistered COVID-19 vaccine.

"Doon sa FDA, dati ko pa sinasabi, ito ay crisis situation, we are in a crisis situation. Pagka naman in-aaprove na for example ng FDA US, FDA Singapore... payagan na nila dito, kasi crisis situation tayo e," said Defensor, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Health.

"Kapag in-approve na ng FDA ng ibang bansa and nakita nila dumaan doon sa proseso, sasabihin ba natin mas magaling pa tayo sa FDA for example ng US or the process that they did in Singapore or in Australia? So for me, kapag na-approve na ‘yan, then pwede nilang gamitin," he added.

Defensor, however, said the vaccines would still need the provisional approval of the Philippine FDA before they can be administered to Filipinos.

"May mga ibang bansa kasi na baka hindi ganoon ‘yung standard ang FDA process and so we have to be careful about it," Defensor said.

"But if it is like FDA US, FDA UK... then I think there should be a provisional approval already of FDA Philippines while they are finalizing the process and the final approval of any of these vaccines," he added.

PSG commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante III earlier admitted that his unit acquired the COVID-19 vaccine for free, and the President was only made aware that they have been inoculated after it was done.

He added that the PSG members got vaccinated to protect the President from the virus.

Durante took full responsibility but refused to disclose the source of the vaccine.

Republic Act 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 explicitly prohibits the "manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising" of any unregistered health product.

Amid this new controversy, the FDA said that donations of the vaccine still required clearances, and said that the PSG's procurement of them was a breach of the regulatory process.

Defensor said that if the individuals who received the unregistered vaccine developed side effects, then the Philippine government can sue the company that manufactured it.

"Lahat naman itong bansang nagpro-produce ng vaccine abroad e. So if there’s any case, it should be the Philippine government filing against any of the companies that produced the vaccine," he said.

The House Makabayan Bloc earlier said they would be filing a House resolution calling for an investigation into the "smuggling" of unregistered COVID-19 vaccines into the country and the early inoculation of the military, Cabinet, and PSG members. -NB, GMA News