Philippines approves emergency use of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

March 19, 2021 - 11:08 AM
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A nurse prepares Russia's "Sputnik-V" vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for inoculation at a clinic in Tver, Russia October 12, 2020. (Reuters/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo)

MANILA — The Philippines has approved Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday.

The vaccine, developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute, is the fourth to get emergency use authorisation in the Southeast Asian nation as it battles a renewed surge in infections.

“The known and potential benefits of the Gamaleya Sputnik V vaccine…outweigh the known and potential risks of said vaccine,” FDA chief Rolando Enrique Domingo told a news conference.

—Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales Editing by Ed Davies