Philippines approves Pfizer vaccine for emergency use

MANILA: The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the emergency use of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine, reported Xinhua news agency, quoting FDA head Enrique Domingo on Thursday.

“Based on the totality of evidence available to date, including data from adequate and well-known controlled trials, it is reasonable to believe that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine may be effective to prevent, diagnose, or treat Covid-19,” Domingo said at an online briefing.

He added that “the known and potential benefits of the Pfizer vaccine when used to diagnose, prevent, treat Covid-19, outweigh the known and potential risks of said vaccine as of date.”

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Domingo said the emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine “is effective immediately.”

Pfizer applied for EUA on Dec. 23 last year.

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Meanwhile, Domingo said China’s Sinovac Biotech applied for EUA on Wednesday. 

“Pre-assessment” of the application is ongoing, he added.

Aside from Sinovac, the FDA has yet to approve the Covid-19 vaccines and EUA applications filed by AstraZeneca and Russia’s Gamaleya.