THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Moderna’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine for emergency use in the Philippines.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo announced the issuance of an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Moderna in a media forum Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

He said the Moderna vaccine may be given to adults 18 years old and above.

He noted that an EUA is not a marketing authorization or a Certificate of Product Registration. It cannot be used to market the vaccine commercially.

Executive Order No. 121 s. 2020 allows the granting of an EUA to vaccines under development when there is no adequate, approved and available alternative to a vaccine for preventing Covid-19.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier announced that the government has signed a supply agreement for 13 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.

The private sector also ordered seven million doses through a tripartite agreement.

Galvez said they expect the first delivery of Moderna vaccines next month.

As of May, the country has received a total of 4,040,600 doses of Covid-19 vaccines. (SunStar Philippines)