The processing period for local vaccine manufacturing applicants should not be more than 20 days to allow them to put up facilities within 10 months, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) said.
The anti-red tape watchdog, the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), Health, Science and Technology, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Task Force Against Covid-19 recently inked a joint memorandum circular (JMC) establishing a greenlane for local vaccine manufacturers.
The circular is titled “Establishment of a Green Lane for Securing Permits, Licenses and Authorizations for the Establishment and Operation of a Bulk Import, Fill and Finish Local Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Manufacturing Facility and For the Registration for Availment of Incentives.”
“Bulk supplies of vaccines will be imported from abroad and the local companies will fill and package vials locally for distribution,” the JMC noted.
The FDA, under this circular, is mandated to follow the guidelines in using a facilitated registration and evaluation pathway for permits, licenses and authorizations, including Emergency Use Authorization applications.
The JMC clarified that interaction with the applicant during the processing of applications, if the inspection or meeting is necessary, should not be considered a violation of the zero-contact policy.
The local vaccine manufacturers, Arta noted, may also be able to avail of the incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act and other related laws.
The trade department “shall provide assistance to the applicant by facilitating the immediate resolution of issues and concerns relating to the establishment and operation of a Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing facility including those related to applicable administrative processes of the Bureau of Customs [BOC] and other concerned government institutions, agencies, and LGUs,” the JMC states.
The signatories of the JMC, along with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Streamlining of Government Processes, comprise the joint oversight committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the circular.
Apart from establishing greenlane, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez earlier said that assuring a procurement deal with the potential vaccine manufacturers can also encourage more applicants.
Arta said that the advanced market commitment for the Covid-19 vaccine will be tackled in a separate memorandum of agreement with the vaccine manufacturers and concerned agencies.
Meanwhile, Arta launched on Thursday an inter-agency task force tasked with streamlining the processing of the claims of uniformed personnel and their legal beneficiaries.
The group aims to automate the death benefit claims and other entitlements of the beneficiaries and to open one-stop shops in regions and localities.
“We look forward to regionalizing and localizing the claims processing,” said Carlos Quita, Arta deputy director general for Administration, Finance and Special Programs.
Read full article on BusinessMirror
