Philippines approves emergency use of J&J, Bharat BiotechCOVID-19 vaccines

April 20, 2021 - 10:10 AM
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Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)

MANILA — The Philippines‘ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson and India’s Bharat Biotech, it said on Tuesday.

Both vaccines can be administered to people aged 18 and above in the Philippines, the agency chief, Rolando Enrique Domingo, said in a mobile text message.

The single-shot coronavirus vaccines developed by J&J’s unit Janssen and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin are the fifth and sixth to receive emergency use approval in the Philippines, which is battling one of the worst outbreaks in Asia.

J&J is conducting late-stage clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines. —Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Tom Hogue