The Food and Drug Administration has approved the application of Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech to conduct clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
“Lahat po ng nag-apply ng clinical trials sa FDA, na-approve na po ‘yan,” FDA Director General Rolando Domingo said in a press briefing.
Other manufacturers approved for clinical trials include Janssen, the vaccine arm of American firm Johnson & Johnson and Chinese companies Sinovac and Clover Biopharmaceutical.
The FDA granted the approval of Janssen last December while Clover was given the go signal early this month.
The FDA has so far granted emergency use authorization only to Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine.
However, the FDA may be a “revision and advisory” against its use on “very old and very frail” individuals.
Some 28 people have reportedly died in Norway after getting their COVID-19 vaccine shot.
“Kasi mukhang ang nangyari po sa Norway is pati ‘yung mga matatandang-matanda na at mahihina ay binakunahan. Mga terminally ill po ata pati ‘yung iba. Mga nasa nursing home po kasi,”Domingo added.
There are pending applications for the EUA which include Sinovac, British company AstraZeneca, and Russian firm’s Gamaleya Institute. (TDT)
