Research Team: Unair Vaccine Can Be Used For Initial Vaccination To Boosters

JAKARTA - The head of the Universitas Airlangga (Unair) Red and White vaccine research team, Fedik Abdul Rantam, said the COVID-19 vaccine whose vaccine seeds were developed by Unair could be used for the first and second vaccinations or boosters.

"It can be a beginner or a first, second or booster vaccination," said Fedik, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, November 23.

Phase 1 clinical trials of the Merah Putih vaccine candidate will begin in early or mid-December 2021.

Phase 1 clinical trials aim to determine the immunogenicity or ability of the vaccine to trigger an immune response from the human body, the safety, and efficacy of the vaccine.

In July 2022, it is hoped that the Red and White vaccine will have obtained an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).

Unair developed the Red and White vaccine seed for COVID-19 by using an inactivated virus or virus-based platform that was attenuated or killed.

Fedik said that currently the preparation of vaccine seeds at PT Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia is being carried out so that they are ready to be used in phase 1 clinical trials.

Unair is collaborating with PT Biotis to carry out further vaccine development to test it in phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials, to mass production of vaccines.

"We are making a pilot-scale vaccine for phase 1 clinical trials. The time is probably early or mid-December 2021," said Fedik.

Meanwhile, the clinical trial has been designed by a team at the Doctor Soetomo Regional General Hospital, Surabaya, East Java, led by Dr. Dominicus.