THE government has identified eight zones for clinical trials for potential vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said yesterday.
At the “Laging Handa” public briefing, Dela Peña said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved six areas in Metro Manila, one in the Calabarzon region, and one in Cebu province.
Vaccine zones are areas where participants will be sourced. He reiterated that five to 10 barangays with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, “based on attack rates per 1,000 population per barangay,” will participate in the trial.
Aside from the “Solidarity Trial” led by the World Health Organization Solidarity Trial, the Philippines is joining trials for Sputnik 5, a vaccine being developed by Russia.
Dela Peña said the WHO trial may only need 1,000 volunteers from the Philippines as about 80 countries are participating in the test which is expected to take six month starting November.
He said the independent trials would need more volunteers, or about 6,000, as the trials would be limited to the country.
He said Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, which will manufacture the Sputnik V, has signed a confidentiality data agreement (CDA) with the Philippines. Russia will conduct simultaneous trials in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Dela Peña also said the government’s panel of vaccine experts is reviewing information sent by seven companies that recently signed CDAs for possible COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in the country, including Adimmune Corp. from Taiwan and Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Sinopharm from China. He said US and Australian companies have also signed CDAs but did not name those.
Dela Peña reiterated the country does not have enough funds or facilities to develop vaccines.
