AMERICAN biopharmaceutical firms Moderna and Arcturus are also ready to supply up to 25 million of their respective COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines, Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said yesterday.
In a tweet, the Philippine envoy said the vaccines will be ready beginning third quarter of 2021.
“I am pleased to report that, aside from Pfizer, Moderna and Arcturus are ready to supply the Philippine anywhere between four to 25 million of their respective vaccines starting Q3 2021, should the Philippine government find their proposals acceptable,” Romualdez said in his tweet.
“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,” Romualdez said.
US experts has voted to recommend the emergency approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for six million doses to start shipping this weekend.
A few weeks ago, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo helped facilitate the supposed delivery of the vaccines to the Philippines by early 2021 but someone “dropped the ball” on the Pfizer vaccine delivery.
Senator Panfilo Lacson named Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as the one who made the mistake, causing the Philippines to miss the opportunity to secure the 10 million vaccines, which showed 95% efficacy with no serious side effects.
“They could have secured the delivery of 10 million Pfizer vaccines as early as January next year, way ahead of Singapore but for the indifference of Secretary Duque who failed to work on the necessary documentary requirement, namely, the confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA) as he should have done,” Lacson said.
Duque has denied that he botched the delivery.
