Philippines in talks for 8 million doses of Covaxin — India envoy
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government and an Indian drug maker are in talks for the possible supply of at least eight million doses of Covaxin COVID-19 shots, New Delhi's envoy in Manila said Thursday.
Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran said Bharat Biotech, the company that developed Covaxin, may start supplying the jabs by late April or early May once an agreement is signed.
"From Bharat, I think the conversation that the local partner for Bharat has been having is anything of eight million doses over a year and a half, go up to 20 million doses," Kumaran said at a press briefing.
"The advantage of Bharat is that they could potentially start supplies in late April or in May itself. So that will be, I think, a useful supplement to some of the other vaccine supplies that are coming into the Philippines," he added.
Kumaran said Bharat has shown an 81-percent efficacy against COVID-19 based on interim data.
"Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and we are hoping that now that we are entering phase 3 efficacy, data has been shared, we have an early EUA and that we can pick up the commercial negotiations," the envoy said.
Covavax 'pretty much done deal'
Kumaran also described as "pretty much a done deal" the Philippines' procurement of 30 million doses of Covavax vaccine, which was developed by a partnership between Novavax and the Serum Institute of India.
Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and other officials are now in India to discuss the deal, which aims to augment Manila's pandemic vaccine stock.
"We’re very hopeful that this vaccine can reach early in the third quarter or the late second quarter of this year. So it will provide the backbone for the Philippines vaccination effort in the second half of 2021 this year," Kumaran said.
Kumaran said AstraZeneca shots may also be sourced from the Serum Institute but some licensing issues have to be addressed.
"Potentially, I believe that even AstraZeneca in the second half of the year. But those licensing arrangements, I’m not really confident as to where they’re positioned. But that discussion is something that I am told also Secretary Galvez will initiate," he added.
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