A LOCAL vaccine distribution firm is not keen on the idea of waiting for late next year for the government to seal a deal with international bio-pharmaceutical firms for a country-based manufacturing for the production of COVID-19 antiviral medicines.
Glovax Biotech CEO Giovanni Alingog said that they are forging a tie-up with business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan to defray the cost of constructing a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant in the country even as he hinted at commencing actual works by October this year.
Alingog said that the joint endeavor would see their firm, which has EuBiotics from South Korea as partner, team up with Pangilinan whose crucial role would be more of bankrolling the construction cost of the plant.
“We already have the technology and we already have a supplier, the next steps we are doing is finding more financial support,” Alingog in an interview with a Manila-based broadcast company.
Glovax is all set to commence clinical trial of Korea-made EuCorVac-19 in the country following Phase 1 and 2 trials in South Korea.
Alingog said Glovax was planning to manufacture EuCorVac-19 in the country once it secured an emergency use authorization following clinical trials.
“The estimated cost of the vaccine plant is P7 billion,” he said.
The facility is eyed to have a production capacity of 100 million doses in a year.
“Nabanggit niya [Pangilinan] sa aming meeting noong Wednesday lamang, sinabi niya mismo na susuportahan niya ang Glovax vaccine plant bilang pasuporta sa mamamayang Pilipino, sa gobyerno, lalo na kay Presidente Duterte, para sa laban natin sa COVID-19,” Alingog said.
Apart from producing COVID-19 vaccines for local supply, Glovax’s planned facility is also eyed to produce other vaccines in preparation for any anticipated pandemics in the future so that the Philippines will not be dependent on other countries for vaccine supply, according to Alingog.