Governor Juanito Victor Remulla announced Thursday that 10,000 individuals from Cavite would join in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies in the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Malapit na sumailalim sa Phase 3 field trial ng dalawang kilalang pharmaceutical giant. Kasama sa pag-aaral ay ang mahigit sa 10,000 volunteer recipients ng experimental vaccine,” Remulla said a statement posted on Facebook.
(It will soon undergo a Phase 3 field trial of two well-known pharmaceutical giants. The study included more than 10,000 volunteer recipients of the experimental vaccine.)
Remulla, however, did not specify when the experimental trial would begin. He did not also name the two pharmaceutical companies.
According to the Cavite governor, 5,000 people will receive the COVID-19 vaccine, while the other 5,000 will get a placebo.
“Ito ay standard protocol sa lahat ng clinical trials na ginagawa sa buong mundo,” he said.
(This is standard protocol in all clinical trials conducted worldwide.)
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10,000 people from Cavite to join UK, US COVID-19 vaccines clinical trial
Meanwhile, Remulla has been vocal about his concerns over the newly developed vaccine.
“Ako po ay nababahala sa mainit na balita na ang Russia ay maglalabas na ng vaccine para sa COVID-19. I have nothing against the Russians nor am I connected to any preferred country or vaccine manufacturer,” Remulla said in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, Malacañang said Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte could be given Sputnik V vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Russia, as early as May 2021.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised briefing that Duterte could be injected with Sputnik V, as early as May 1, 2021, given that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Philippines approved the vaccine.
“The May 1 is when the PSG (Presidential Security Group) may allow him ‘pag natapos na ang mga test na kinakailangang gawin dito sa [Sputnik V] vaccine,” Roque said. “It’s not a metaphorical statement. He is willing to undergo it [vaccination].”
According to Roque, the vaccine expert panel will evaluate the results of phase 1 and 2 clinical trials this September. He added the Philippines and Russia would run simultaneous phase 3 clinical trials.
Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research, together with other members of Philippine health and vaccine experts, met with the representatives of Russian manufacturer Gamaleya and other Russian investors recently to talk about Sputnik V’s Phase 3 clinical trials in the Philippines.