THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon stop issuing new emergency use authorization (EUA) for Covid-19 jabs once some vaccine brands are allowed to be sold in the local market.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo issued the statement amid reports that the United States FDA is now fast-tracking the “full approval” or marketing authorization for the Covid-19 vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech.
Among the considerations behind the US FDA’s decision will be clinical trial results and whether vaccines were proven safe and effective.
Domingo said they are closely monitoring the US development since it will allow Pfizer-BioNTech to apply the same marketing authorization in the Philippines, which will make it commercially available in the domestic market.
“Once we give it full approval, then probably the other [brands of Covid-19 vaccine] will apply. One of the things which will happen then is, we will no longer be issuing new Emergency Use Authorization,” Domingo said.
Instead, he said FDA will only register Covid-19 vaccines applying for marketing authorization.
Currently, all of the Covid-19 vaccine brands being administered in the country only have EUAs.
The EUA allows a vaccine to be used locally despite its ongoing clinical trials.
Among the said vaccine brands is Novavax, which only secured its EUA from FDA last Friday.