Pfizer to apply for full jab authorization

American drugmaker Pfizer is looking to apply for full authorization of its Comirnaty vaccine in the Philippines next year.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Rolando Enrique Domingo said Pfizer is working to get full authorization in the European Union before applying for a certificate of product registration (CPR) in the Philippines.

The CPR is a prerequisite for any medical product, such as vaccines, to be sold in any country.

“We asked Pfizer if they would apply for marketing authorization, and they said that they would apply first in the European Union after the United States FDA, and once it was approved, they would apply for authorization in other countries such as the Philippines,” Domingo said in a radio interview on Wednesday.

Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine, which it co-developed with German biotechnology firm BioNTech SE, has been given full authorization in the US, paving the way for vaccination mandates in several American states.

Domingo earlier said that following a CPR issuance, Pfizer’s vaccine might be administered as a booster dose.

The Department of Health’s All-Experts Group on Covid-19 is deliberating the possibility of giving booster doses to health care workers and persons with comorbidities.

Domingo urged hospitals across the country to report cases of breakthrough infections among medical frontliners, following the report of infectious diseases specialist Dr. Rontgene Solante that several vaccinated health care workers have contracted the virus.

He also reminded the public that nasal sprays do not prevent the transmission of Covid-19, as it only acts as a “mechanical barrier” for particulates along the nasal cavity.

“This is not for Covid as it only acts as a nasal coating. It is not a substitute for mask, [physical] distancing [and] vaccination,” Domingo said.