MORE than a year after the onset of the pandemic, the government is now seriously considering the idea of having its own vaccine manufacturing plant seen to address the limited jabs that the government has been getting from bio-pharmaceutical companies abroad.
According to Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, the Philippine government has started separately negotiating with at least four groups for the possibility of forging an agreement that would see a local manufacturing plant established in the country.
Lopez, who declined to elaborate on the four groups he referred to, however said that it’s not him doing the talking in behalf of the government, but vaccine czar Carlito Galvez.
“Ito naman po ay ating pina-facilitate at tutulungan din natin sila sa mga requirements sa FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” the Trade minister said. “Hopefully po within this year or next year, meron ng mga actual investments that will come in, once na ma-settle din ang kanilang mga concerns at mga requirements.”
A check on previous news articles had Galvez talking to Russia’s Gamaleya research institute and the Serum Institute of India.