By JULIA MARI ORNEDO, GMA News Published May 10, 2021 2:15pm Amid warnings that health officials may face charges for procuring remdesivir, the Department of Health (DOH) clarified on Monday that it cannot purchase the antiviral drug because it has not yet been registered locally. “We do not have any procurement of remdesivir precisely because it has no CPR (certificate of product registration),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing, referring to the authorization that allows the commercial sale of a drug. She explained that remdesivir is currently allowed under a compassionate special permit, which is only issued to doctors or hospitals that apply for it. The DOH gave its hospitals P5 million each in March to replenish their supply of medicines.