After Pfizer, Philippines approves AstraZeneca vaccine

Reuters | Manila

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use of AstraZeneca PLC’s Covid-19 vaccine, the second to be approved in the Southeast Asian nation.

The known and potential benefits of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine outweighed the risks to date, FDA chief Rolando Enrique Domingo told a news conference.

The Philippines’ FDA has previously approved Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. Covid-19 vaccines from Russia’s Gamaleya, China’s Sinovac Biotech and India’s Bharat Biotech are awaiting approval.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine was easy to transport and store and did not require ultra-cold temperatures, Domingo said. “It also has very good protection against severe Covid-19,” he said.