MANILA – The government has denied receiving Chinese firm Sinopharm’s letter of request to hold a clinical trial for its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in the country.
“Wala akong alam [na sulat na nakarating sa akin]. Ang alam ko lang na nag-apply for Phase 3 clinical trials iyong Janssen, sa Johnson & Johnson ‘yun,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in an interview over DZBB.
Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology noted that Sinopharm reached out to them “for a collaboration” laying out two proposals: either the clinical trials will be funded by the Philippines, or the national government will recognize vaccine use authorization from China.
“In response, DOST wrote back to them to say that the Philippines only funds trials under the WHO Solidarity Trial,” the statement said. “Sinopharm never responded to this letter.”
The Food and Drug Administration, for its part, said Sinopharm has not submitted any application for clinical trials nor emergency use authorization as of press time.
Two representatives of vaccine distributor MKG Universal Trading Corporation, whose identities were hidden for security reasons, said the country would have been prioritized by Sinopharm “if it weren’t for the stalled documents.”
Duque had also been accused of messing up the deal brokered by Philippine and United States diplomats for the country to secure 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccines by January 2021.
The health chief denied that he “dropped the ball,” saying he thoroughly reviewed the confidentiality disclosure agreement which is necessary to start procurement discussions with the US biopharmaceutical company./PN
