Sinovac faces bribery allegations amid PH vaccine deal talks

Sinovac Biotech, a Chinese pharmaceutical company, is facing scrutiny over past bribery allegations as it seeks to supply coronavirus vaccines to the Philippine market.

A Washington Post report detailed Sinovac's history of bribing Chinese drug regulators for vaccine approvals, with its founder admitting to bribing authorities some $83,000 from 2002 to 2011 to fast track vaccine approvals.

Despite these allegations, Malacañang stated that Sinovac remains the Philippines' top pick for its immunization program.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque expressed confidence in the Philippine Food and Drug Administration's review process, stating that bribery allegations would not happen in the Philippines.

The target remains for Sinovac to be the first vaccine used to vaccinate Filipinos in the first quarter of next year, with the Philippines aiming to vaccinate around 25 million people in 2021.

The Philippine government had planned to acquire up to 50 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine, known as Coronavac.

Sinovac has already begun delivering its vaccines to Indonesia, indicating its capacity to supply other nations.

The potential cost for 50 million doses of Coronavac could range from $1.5 billion to nearly $3 billion, depending on the per-dose price.