THE Moderna vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) that were rumored to have arrived in Manila are likely fake, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.
FDA Director General Eric Domingo said it was highly unlikely that the American pharmaceutical company dispatched vaccines to the Philippines as it has made no such commitment yet.
“We just had a meeting with Moderna last Tuesday (February 9). They said they plan to apply for an emergency use authorization, hopefully, by next week. They also said they cannot supply us until June or July of this year,” Domingo said.
“I am sure there is no actual Moderna vaccine. If ever there are arrivals, it’s probably counterfeit,” Domingo added.
He said he has deployed FDA personnel to conduct an investigation on the reported shipment.
“I am having that report checked soon by our regulatory enforcement unit,” said Domingo.
Earlier, reports came out that there was a shipment containing vaccines from Moderna that arrived in the country on February 11.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it will look into the supposed shipment. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)