No bus was missed and nobody dropped the ball in the negotiations for COVID-19 vaccines from US biopharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 and the designated vaccine czar, stressed this Saturday as he finally addressed the controversies hounding the allegedly botched deal by the government with Pfizer.
In a “Laging Handa” press briefing, Galvez clarified that the negotiation by the government with Pfizer for the possible supply of COVID-19 vaccines “is still ongoing” and the signing of an agreement may happen this month or by January.
“Let me reiterate, no ‘bus’ was missed or no ‘ball’ was dropped because we are focused on our main goal and that is to secure an equitable share of the vaccines,” he said/
“Nasa advance (stage) na tayo sa Pfizer so hinihintay na lang natin ang validation and coordination from Pfizer headquarters. Once magkaroon na ng talagang… kung ilan ang i-allocate sa atin, magkakaroon na ng pirmahan. Hopefully ang pinaka-earliest ay within this month or maybe kung may delay ‘yung allocation it will be first week of January,” he added.
The controversy stemmed from the revelation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier last week that the plan to secure Pfizer’s vaccine by January was foiled after “someone dropped the ball” during the negotiations. He did not name names.
But Sen. Panfilo Lacson bared that Locsin was referring to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III after Duque supposedly failed to submit “on time” a confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA) to Pfizer.
The CDA will ensure that some critical information about Pfizer’s vaccines will not be divulged to public while certain evaluation processes are still ongoing.
Galvez defended Duque from criticisms that his supposed negligence led to the fallout of the government and Pfizer’s negotiations which, according to the vaccine czar, started in the middle part of the year.
Galvez bared that the government has been talking with Pfizer as early as August or September for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines but there were some “roadblocks” that were encountered by both parties.
Among of the roadblocks were the lack of data about the efficacy of Pfizer at the time and the need to store the vaccine in extremely cold temperatures.
“Noong panahon na iyon, maraming uncertainties kasi ‘yung platform ng Pfizer ay hindi pa ginagamit sa mga vaccine. ‘Yun ang block at napakataas ng requirement sa logistics (During that time, there were a lot of uncertainties because the platform of Pfizer was not yet used in the vaccines. That was the roadblock and the high requirements in the logistics),” Galvez said.
“‘Yung nangyayaring negotiation sa Pfizer ay on-going po at hindi po tayo bumitaw. Hindi po natin nabitawan ang bola kundi ipinasa lang sa akin,” he added.
Galvez urged all stakeholders to stop making “unfounded accusations and unnecessary noise” which may derail the government from pursuing its goal of securing a safe and effective vaccine.
“The ball is being passed not because there are those who are abrogating responsibility but because we want it to reach the goal – to close deals and obtain vaccines for all Filipinos so that we can implement our national vaccination program at the most appropriate time,” he said.
Pfizer is at the forefront of the vaccine race as it reported that its candidate vaccine yielded 95-percent efficacy in its Phase 3 trials. The United States government already issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer to allow its vaccine to be used for public consumption.
Galvez assured that the government is “determined” to acquire safe and effective vaccines for all Filipinos “regardless of brand or their country of origin.”
The government is planning to inoculate 60 to 70 percent of the total population, or about 70 million Filipinos, to achieve a herd immunity and as part of the National Vaccine Roadmap to eradicate the threat of COVID-19.
“With this as our guiding principle, it is our duty as public servants to carefully study and evaluate all documents relative to the procurement and acquisition of candidate vaccines, especially when the public health and safety are at stake. As we take responsibility for our actions, we cannot afford to engage in finger-pointing or buck-passing at this crucial stage. These kinds of discussions are unproductive and will only distract us from carrying out our crucial mandate,” he said.
Galvez said all the decisions and actions that the government has made were done “in accordance with the careful process of scientific evaluation and selection” of the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP), which evaluates the vaccine candidates that want to enter the country.
“The process of selection is based on safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, the track record of the vaccine maker, complexity of handling and logistics, after-sales and life cycle services, production capacity and early delivery, and long-term commitment,” he said. (Martin Sadongdong)
