What Is The Ideal Price Of The COVID-19 Vaccine For Sale In Indonesia?

JAKARTA - The corona virus or COVID-19 vaccination program is targeted to start in early 2021. There are two types of vaccinations, namely free and paid. For a paid vaccine, the official price has not been decided by the government until now. Then what is the ideal price for the vaccine to be sold domestically?

As is known, on Sunday, December 6, the COVID-19 vaccine, a product of Sinovac from China, arrived in Indonesia, totaling 1.2 million doses. The vaccine is transported using an aircraft belonging to the airline PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk (GIAA), an aircraft of the Boeing 777-300ER type.

This vaccine from a Chinese pharmaceutical company is the first COVID-19 vaccine to land in Indonesia. In the first phase, the government brought in 1.2 million doses. Followed by the plan for the arrival of the second phase of 1.8 million doses.

The National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) said the price of an independent or paid COVID-19 vaccine must be affordable for the public. Ideally, based on BPKN's recommendation, the highest vaccine price is not more than IDR 100,000 per dose.

Coordinator of the BPKN Research and Development Commission, Anna Maria Tri Anggraini, said that the pricing of vaccines must comply with the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

"For paid vaccines, the upper limit is around Rp. 100,000 according to the standards issued by WHO and the benchmarking we accept," he said at a press conference, Monday, December 14.

Not only that, BPKN also asked the government to ensure data collection on which people could receive vaccines for free and which had to be paid. In addition, the vaccination process in Indonesia must also be carried out after the release of the third clinical trial and the results of the study from the POM.

On the same occasion, Chairman of BPKN Rizal Edy Halim said that the government also has the responsibility to determine the Highest Retail Price (HET) for vaccines, rather than leaving it to the market mechanism.

Furthermore, Rizal said, this was regulated in the Health Law. Where the government is obliged to take full responsibility for public health.

"The price regulation for rapid tests, PCR tests, swab tests and vaccines must be determined by the government based on the economic value and community capacity according to predetermined standards," he said.

President Director of Bio Farma Honesti Basyir said the price range for the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia is IDR 200,000. This was conveyed in response to reports stating that Sinovac had signed a vaccine procurement contract with Brazil at a price of US $ 1.96 per dose.

"They have sent an official e-mail to Bio Farma confirming that the information in the news about the purchase contract for 46 million doses with a contract value of 90 million dollars with the Brazilian government is incorrect and the price of 1.96 dollars per dose is incorrect. the dose is around 2 US dollars, "he said, in a press release, Tuesday, October 13.

Honesti said the company is committed to supporting the government's efforts to provide a COVID-19 vaccine at an affordable price to provide protection for the Indonesian population.

In the official letter delivered by Sinovac, there are several factors that determine the price of the COVID-19 vaccine. One of the factors that determine the price is investment in phase 3 clinical studies especially large scale efficacy trials. Likewise, pricing in Indonesia will follow these principles.

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Member of Commission IX DPR from the PAN Faction Saleh Daulay asked the government to provide the COVID-19 vaccine for free to all people who were the target recipients of the vaccination. If the government covers the COVID-19 vaccine, then the target to achieve the herd immunity effect will be more measurable.

"I ask that (the COVID-19 vaccine) be made free," he said when contacted, Monday, December 14.

By releasing vaccines to be purchased independently, Saleh is worried that some people will be burdened so that they choose not to vaccinate.

Likewise, the Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament, Puan Maharani, asked the government to ensure that the price of the COVID-19 vaccine is affordable for all Indonesians.

"People who cannot afford or are at high risk must be facilitated. Ensure that the price of independent vaccines is affordable, because prices should not be an obstacle for people to obtain these vaccines," he said, in a written statement, Sunday, December 6.

He also asked the government to increase the intensity of education and outreach regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. According to him, education and socialization regarding vaccines is important so that people are willing to be vaccinated in an effort to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

The government spokesperson as well as the Director of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmidzi, emphasized that the government has not set a price for the COVID-19 vaccine to be used. Therefore, the public is asked to wait for an official announcement from the government.

"The government has not set the price of the corona vaccine to be used in Indonesia. The information currently circulating cannot be used as a reference and we urge the public to wait for the official government announcement regarding the vaccine and vaccination for COVID-19," he said, in a written statement, Sunday, 13 December.

As is known, the government has determined six types of COVID-19 vaccines used in Indonesia. This is in accordance with the Decree of the Minister of Health no. 9860/2020 concerning Determination of Vaccine Types for the Implementation of COVID-19 Vaccination.

The six vaccines include vaccines produced by Bio Farma, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer / BioNTech, and Sinovac.

Siti said, the presence and use of the COVID-19 vaccine in the vaccination program in Indonesia is still dynamic following the procurement process and the permit to use it. He asked the public to see the vaccination announcement through the official government website.

"Information currently circulating cannot be used as a reference and we urge the public to wait for the official government announcement regarding vaccines and vaccination against COVID-19. Official information will be accessible on the kemkes.go.id and covid-19.go.id sites," he said.

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