Red And White Vaccines Are The Beginning Of Indonesia's Big Steps In The Pharmaceutical Industry

JAKARTA - The final phase of the Red and White Vaccine research has started Indonesia's big step in starting the domestic pharmaceutical industry on Indonesia's Independence Day.

"In Indonesia there has never been a vaccine that is totally Indonesian, 100 percent of the vaccine has never been made. The Red and White Vaccine will be the first, if it gives good results," said Main Researcher for the Red and White Vaccine Unair, Dominic Husada, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, August 17. .

He said the vaccine with the attenuated virus platform was investigated by a team from Unair in collaboration with PT Biotis since May 12, 2020. Until now, the process has entered phase 3 clinical trials in the form of a second injection on 4,005 human subjects.

According to him, the Red and White Vaccine virus was obtained from patients from hospitals (RS) in Surabaya, carried out at the Unair Laboratory by Prof Fedik Abdul Rantam's team to become a vaccine candidate.

After that, a series of additional tests were carried out in the Surabaya and Bogor laboratories and tested on animals in Surabaya and on humans.

"From the form of a virus to a vaccine, it is done in Indonesia, by Indonesians, for Indonesians," he said.

In the spirit of Indonesia's Independence today, he said, the Red and White Vaccine is valuable for the research team to be presented to the nation.

"Although not as good as Pfizer's (imported) vaccine, the important thing is that we have made a big step forward," he said.

According to him, the Red and White COVID-19 vaccine research journey did not always run smoothly. For example, when the research team was required to involve 4,005 research subjects in humans, all of them had never been infected with COVID-19 or received a government program of COVID-19 vaccination.

"Subjects must not have been vaccinated, while vaccination coverage in East Java is relatively high. Ideally go to a place with low vaccination coverage," he said.

The team also had to map various areas with low vaccination coverage to remote areas of East Java. "Finding the subject matter is tough. But after two years of a pandemic, usually low coverage is people who refuse to be vaccinated," he said.

The team received information from the local government about more than 2 million people in East Java who have not received the vaccine. Generally scattered in level II areas.

"They are a group that does not want to be vaccinated, the location is far from the mainland," he said.

Efforts to persuade the subject was not an easy matter. But with the help of regional heads, colleagues at the health office, health centers, and people who sympathize with vaccine research activities, the team was able to collect 4,005 subjects.

In phase 3 this time, he said, research on vaccine subjects was carried out at Soetomo Hospital, Airlangga University Hospital Surabaya, Saiful Anwar Hospital Malang, Dr Soebandi Hospital Jember, and Pulmonary Hospital in Jember.

The research requires the subject to go to the research laboratory. If from other cities around Surabaya, they get a substitute for transportation.

"For some people, we take care of transportation, they are picked up. But not 100 percent, because some come of their own consciousness. Vehicles from Airlangga University can also be used," he said.

Phase 2 clinical trials also mark the final stage of the Red and White Vaccine research. If all reports are assessed as good by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), the Red and White Vaccine Emergency Distribution Permit (EUA) will be issued in September or December 2022, said Dominic Husada.