The Philippines has approved Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on March 19.
SEE ALSO: Sputnik V: The Story Of Russia's Controversial COVID-19 VaccineSputnik V, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute, is the fourth vaccine to get emergency use authorization in the Philippines, which aims to use it to battle 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.
The Philippines, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, plans to roll out 140.5 million vaccines by December.
He said interim data showed the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy of 91.6 percent in age groups 18 and older.
Last week, a senior official with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned European Union members to hold off from giving national authorization for Sputnik V until the agency finishes its safety review.
The official said Sputnik V could be on the market in the EU when the appropriate data have been reviewed.