(Eagle News) — The World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Trial is set to begin by the end of January or at the start of February in the Philippines where 15,000 are targeted to participate in Metro Manila alone, the Philippine government said.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said that Philippine General Hospital (PGH) will be the lead agency in the WHO Solidarity Trial, while 11 other hospitals are also participating.
DOST Rowena Cristina Guevara also clarified that this is separate from the mass COVID-19 vaccination to happen in the country.
“The WHO Solidarity Trial is a global effort to evaluate promptly, efficiently and reliably the safety and efficacy of candidate vaccines,” Guevarra said in a virtual press briefing of the Department of Health on Friday, Jan. 8.
“Eleven hospitals will serve as trial sites for the WHO Solidarity Trial, she said.
Officials, however, have yet to announce which candidate vaccines will be tried out in the WHO effort.
“Alam nyo po itong COVID-19 problema ng buong mundo, kaya po lahat po ng bansaa, 100 po actually nagvolunteer na sumali sa WHO Solidairity Trial,” Guevarra said.
The Philippines and Colombia are the first two countries to start this trial.
Guevarra said that there will be zoning guidelines for the WHO Solidarity Trial so that there would be no overlapping of areas where the independent clinical trial of other vaccines will be conducted.
So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved the clinical trial application of Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and of Clover Biopharmaceuticals of China which was approved only yesterday, Friday, Jan. 8.
-WHO Trial different from other independent clinical trials to happen in PHL-
The DOH will lead in the development of the communication plan so that both the WHO Solidarity Trial, the independent clinical trials,and the mass vaccination to happen this year will be properly explained to the public
Guevarra said that a data and safety monitoring committee will be formed to make sure that all the 15,000 participants of the WHO Solidarity Trial will know the nature of the trial, and to ensure that their conditions would be properly monitored.
“At kung may mangyari po na adverse effects, alam po natin kung ano ang gagawin,” she said.
Initially, only 4,000 had been targeted for the WHO Solidarity Trial with an approved budget of P89.1 million, but WHO changed its plans and asked for 15,000 volunteers for the trial. The DOST was then able to get an additional budget of P384.4 million for the global initiative which was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Hindi po ito immunizaton, clinical trial po ito,” Guevarra noted.
She then called on the public to volunteer for the WHO Solidarity Trial especially in the areas where this will be conducted in Metro Manila.
(Eagle News Service)
