Clinical trials on the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) involving 40,000 volunteers start next week in Russia as development health authorities in the Philippines, which hopes to be one of the first beneficiaries of the serum, will be closely monitoring. The Philippines is expected to carry out clinical trials on four or five vaccines that have passed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pre-qualification process. President Rodrigo Duterte had accepted Russia’s offer to supply the Philippines with Sputnik V.The third phase of the clinical trials for Sputnik V will be held simultaneously in the Philippines and Russia from October 2020 to March 2021. “The Philippine Health Research Ethics Board should review the Ethical Guidelines for the Covid-19 clinical trials and standardize compensation of trial participants both for WHO Solidarity Trial and independent clinical trials,” IATF-EID’s Resolution 64 read. Zoning guidelines on vaccine clinical trials must be issued by the Subtechnical Working Group on Vaccine Development to avoid competition for sites.

Source: Manila Times August 21, 2020 16:30 UTC