MANILA – The Philippine health department sees no reason to revoke the emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the Pfizer’s EUA will stay pending evidence that it caused the deaths of frail, elderly individuals in Norway.
According to reports, 23 citizens in Norway aged between 75 and 80 with serious basic disorders had died after receiving COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech.
“They (Norway authorities) are still looking into it. They don’t think it is related, pero pinag-aaralan pa nila,” Vergeire said in a virtual presser on Monday.
“Wala pang sufficient evidence na ‘yan ang cause ng death kaya status quo muna tayo sa EUA na ibinigay ng FDA sa Pfizer-BioNTech,” she added.
The FDA, in granting EUA to Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine last week, noted that the vaccine was found 95 percent effective among its study population and 92 percent on all races after evaluation.
Pfizer-BioNTech is the only COVID-19 vaccine which has secured EUA from the Philippine FDA so far. Other pending EUA applications include that of Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Gamaleya.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, meanwhile, said the reported deaths of the senior citizens in Norway will not affect its EUA here.
“Sana naman hindi naman po [maapektuhan ang EUA ng Pfizer] dahil importante po talaga kahit anong proteksyon ay mabigyan ang ating taumbayan,” Roque said in an interview with GMA’s Unang Balita./PN
