By ELLALYN RUIZ
The Philippines is hoping to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, but scientists and health experts said the process may still take a long time.
World Health Organization acting country representative Dr. Socorro Escalante said it may take about 12 to 18 months before a vaccine can be approved for mass use.
The Philippines, like other countries, is scrambling for a coronavirus vaccine, with President Duterte promising to give P50 million, from an initial P10 million, to Filipino scientists who can develop a vaccine against COVID-19.
“I think the country could take advantage of the vaccines that are now in the pipeline, but what is key for the country is to be able to prepare its regulatory processes because the vaccine development will really take time. For the meantime, we encourage the country to prepare its regulatory processes in terms of assessment and evaluation of the vaccine,” Escalante had earlier said.
Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they are working on improving the country’s vaccine development capabilities.
Globally, the WHO has received 102 candidate COVID-19 vaccines as of April 30. Of the 102 potential vaccines, eight are currently under clinical evaluation, while 94 are still in the pre-clinical trial stage.
Clinical testing, WHO explained, is a type of research that studies new tests and treatments and evaluates their effects on humans.
China’s CanSino Biological Inc., in partnership with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, has its candidate vaccine currently on second stage clinical trial. The vaccine is based on the same platform as the Ebola virus disease.
United States drugmaker Pfizer, in partnership with Germany’s BioNtech and other pharmaceutical companies, are on first and second stages of testing.
Also on Phases 1 and 2 trials is a vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford in England. Scientists had used the same platform directed against various infections, such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, influenza, tuberculosis, Chikungunya, Zika, and Meningitis B.
Currently on Phase 1 are potential vaccines developed by United States-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals and Moderna, as well as candidate vaccines offered by China’s Wuhan Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm, Beijing Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
There are four phases of biomedical clinical trials, according to WHO.
Phase 1 tests new drugs for the first time in a small group of people to evaluate a safe dosage range and identify side effects.
Phase 2 involves testing treatments that have been found to be safe in Phase 1 but now need a larger group of human subjects to monitor for any adverse effects.
During Phase 3, tests are conducted on larger populations and in different regions and countries, and are often the step right before a new treatment is approved.
Lastly, during Phase 4, studies take place after a country approval but there is a need for further testing in a wide population over a longer period.
FINDING CURE SOON
While it seems that it may take a little longer to find a vaccine, scientists are hoping to find a cure for COVID-19 soon.
Leading a team of Philippine experts taking part in the WHO’s solidarity trial is Dr. Marissa Alejandria of the University of the Philippines-College of Medicine and president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
The solidarity trial is an international randomized and adoptive clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of four possible therapies in treating COVID-19, according to the DoH.
The DoH announced last April 22 the participation of the Philippines among more than 100 countries in the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of antiviral drug against Ebola virus, Remdesivir; anti-malarial drug, Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine; antiretroviral drugs used to treat human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV), Lopinavir with Ritonavir; and multiple sclerosis treatment, Lopinavir with Ritonavir plus Interferon beta-1a.
