FILE PHOTO: Walmart pharmacist holds a vial of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine inside a Walmart department store as Walmart and other major U.S. pharmacies take part in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, to increase vaccinations in the U.S. in West Haven, Connecticut, U.S., February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/
MANILA, Philippine — The COVID-19 vaccine of American pharmaceutical firm Moderna has been granted an emergency use authorization (EUA), the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said the agency only took about 10 days to approve the EUA application of the drug firm.
This is the seventh vaccine to secure an EUA in the country, including Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sinovac Biotech, Gamaleya Institute, Janssen, and Bharat Biotech.
The government and the private sector earlier signed a tripartite agreement with Moderna for 20 million vaccine doses.
Under the agreement, the government will secure 13 million doses while the private sector will have seven million doses for its workers.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the government also ordered an additional five million doses of the said vaccine.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez earlier said that about 200,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected to arrive in the Philippines in June.