Philippines aims vaccine self-reliance by 2022

The Philippines aims to become vaccine self-reliant and may begin manufacturing vaccines locally by 2022 through a 'fill and finish approach' involving importing materials from developers.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said this method would involve agreements between Filipino companies and foreign manufacturers, with facilities prepared for production.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez urged the government to prioritize faster processing and procurement of locally produced vaccines to encourage investment in domestic manufacturing.

Several firms are in talks with technology providers for local vaccine production, with some showing aggressive plans that could see production start by late 2022.