DOH denies stalling Sinopharm vaccine trial documents

Philippine health officials are defending against accusations that they stalled documents needed for late-stage trials of a COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese firm Sinopharm.

DOH and FDA denied reports claiming they failed to act on Sinopharm's proposals, stating the company did not reply to their letter.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III denied receiving any letters from Sinopharm requesting authorization for Phase 3 clinical trials.

Representatives of MKG Universal Drugs Trading Corporation, Sinopharm’s sole distributor in the Philippines, claimed that Sinopharm reached out to DOH as early as May 2020 but did not receive a response.