MANILA – The Philippines can secure up to 25 million doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine from American biopharmaceutical companies Moderna and Arcturus Therapeutics, Philippine Ambassador to Washington D.C. Jose Manuel Romualdez announced Friday.
The envoy said both two firms gave their commitment to supply the country once their proposals have been approved.
“I am pleased to report that aside from Pfizer, Moderna and Arcturus are ready to supply the Philippines anywhere between 4-25M of their respective vaccines starting Q3 of 2021, should the Philippine government find their proposals acceptable. We are hoping our government will consider the promising candidates of Moderna and Arcturus for inclusion in our country’s pool of anti-Covid vaccines,” he said in a statement.
Both vaccine developers are using the new messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology, which teaches the cells how to make a protein that could trigger an immune response inside the body.
United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to grant an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Moderna’s vaccine following a recommendation from its advisory panel.
In a briefing document released December 17, the US FDA said its vaccine was found 94.5 percent effective, 14 days after the second shot was administered.
Arcturus Therapeutics, meanwhile, is seen to start distributing its shots in the first quarter of 2021 after its clinical study showed positive interim results.