* Gamaleya becomes third to apply for emergency use in
Philippines
* China's Clover approved for late-stage clinical trials
* Philippines has second-highest COVID-19 cases, deaths in
SEAsia
(Adds details on Clover, regulator quote, background)
MANILA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Russia's Gamaleya Research
Institute has applied to the Philippine health regulator for
emergency use authorisation of its COVID-19 vaccine but needs to
file further documentation, the regulator said late Friday.
Gamaleya's emergency use application is the third the
Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received after
Pfizer PFE.N and AstraZeneca AZN.L both made similar
applications. "The submission was pre-assessed and the applicant was
instructed to comply with the lacking documents," FDA Director
General Rolando Enrique Domingo said in a statement.
The agency also approved on Friday the application of
China's Clover Biopharmaceuticals to conduct late-stage clinical
trials in the Philippines, he added.
Clover is the second Chinese developer to apply for Phase
III clinical trials in the Philippines following Sinovac Biotech
SVA.O . In December, the FDA allowed a clinical trial for the
COVID-19 vaccine of Johnson & Johnson's JNJ.N unit Janssen.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed free vaccines
for the entire 108 million population to help the battered
economy recover from the pandemic.
The Philippines has the second-highest number of COVID-19
cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia.