MANILA—The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) early Wednesday said Chinese company Sinovac has applied for an amendment to its emergency use authorization (EUA) so its COVID-19 vaccine can be used on children aged 3 to 17.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said Sinovac applied for an amendment to its EUA so its vaccine can be used on children.
"'Yun pong Sinovac, today, just this afternoon, they already applied for an amendment of their EUA to include children, and in this case, children from 3 to 17 years old," he said during a recorded briefing aired early Wednesday.
Domingo said the country's vaccine experts are studying the matter and FDA may issue a decision within the month.
"So this is another potential vaccine that can be used for the pediatric age group. Our vaccine experts are now taking a look at the data and of course, asking questions sa proponents and getting more information. So ito po inaaral natin siguro within the month to see if we will be able to allow the use of Sinovac in children," he added.
China approved emergency use of Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine in people aged between three and 17 last month.
FDA earlier approved the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for minors as young as 12 years old.
Moderna is also eyeing an amendment on its EUA, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) earlier said.
The United States earlier approved the use of Pfizer vaccines for children aged between 12 and 15-years old.
So far, more than 2.8 million Filipinos have received 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, while over 8.8 million others have been jabbed with their first dose, according to data from the Department of Health.
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