Epidemiologist Minta Nama Vaccine Nusantara Diubah

JAKARTA - Epidemiologist from Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman, asked for the name of the Nusantara Vaccine to be changed. The reason is that vaccines based on dendritic cells are an innovation that many researchers have developed around the world.

"The sentence that the Nusantara Vaccine has been published in international journals must be straightened out, that this is a review of the dendritic cell vaccine, do not use the name Nusantara Vaccine," said Dicky Budiman as quoted by Antara, Friday, May 27.

He said the naming of the Nusantara Vaccine had sparked various responses from the public, because many international journals had provided reviews related to dendritic cells.

Dicky ensured that Indonesia was not a pioneer in conducting research on dendritic cells in the world.

"There have been many reviews of this dendritic cell-based vaccine. We are not pioneers in this regard. Dendritic cells are not an Indonesian innovation, this is already advanced to see how the potential of this vaccine for COVID-19 is," he said.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the international journal did not mention the name Vaccine Nusantara. "This is a dendritic cell vaccine. There is no mention of the Nusantara Vaccine," continued Dicky.

According to Dicky, the naming of the Nusantara Vaccine on the dendritic cell vaccine is possible when it is officially a trademark.

"If you already have a trade name, yes, you can. It must be fair, this is not an Indonesian innovation, but a world innovation. We must respect the originality of the scientific world," he said.

Based on the results of Dicky's study of international journals containing scientific reviews of the former Indonesian Minister of Health Terawan's dendritic vaccine, data and evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of the Nusantara Vaccine against COVID-19 have not been published. Such scientific evidence is required with clinical trial results.

"Unfortunately here, the results from the Nusantara Vaccine research or the vaccine dendritic cells that have been carried out have not appeared here or not, because of the literature review, so it is reasonable. That is, we are waiting for the future," he said.

Dicky said that the Nusantara Vaccine that appeared in international journals was more of a review of the reasons for the important development of a dendritic cell-based vaccine for COVID-19.

"I have read the paper and it is not a literature review by reviewing some of the research that has been done," he said.

However, Dicky sees the publication of the dendritic cell-based vaccine, Vaccines Nusantara, in an international journal as a good step. But the challenge going forward is the high cost of development, such as the demands of human resources and other aspects.

"When it comes to public health strategy, it is difficult. Because it must be easy, cheap and fast, besides being effective," he said.

Dicky said the dendritic cell-based vaccine is an innovation that deserves to be developed.

"As I said from the start, the potential does exist, because the previous review also said that," he said.

Terawan's international journal of dendritic cell vaccines can now be accessed by the entire community by browsing the link here.