BPOM Ensures Safe Chloroquine Stock Availability To Handle COVID-19

JAKARTA - The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) ensures that the stock of hydroxychloroquine or hydrochloroquine (chloroquine) drugs is sufficient to deal with the corona virus or COVID-19 in Indonesia. The drug is used as an alternative treatment for positive patients.

Head of BPOM Penny Kusumawati Lukito said, currently chloroquine is produced domestically. According to him, there is no longer any import of drugs in the form of ready-to-use tablets. However, raw materials still rely on imports.

"We convey that chloroquine has been produced domestically, in fact there is no import of all chloroquine, but of course the raw material is still imported chloroquine raw material," he said, in a virtual meeting with Commission IX of the DPR, Wednesday, April 8.

According to Penny, currently there are 2 tons of raw materials that are ready to be produced by the state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk (KAEF). From these raw materials, 8 million chloroquine tablets can be produced. Currently, a number of drugs have been distributed.

Not only Kimia Farma, Penny said, there are two other pharmaceutical industries that are also ready to produce chloroquine with 1.5 million tablets and 1.7 million tablets, respectively. However, unfortunately Penny did not specify what the pharmaceutical industry was referring to.

As is known, in an effort to treat positive patients with COVID-19, chloroquine is one of two types of drugs used by the government. In fact, this drug has already been used by other countries. Until now, there is no vaccine for COVID-19.

BPOM, said Penny, also conducts cyber patrols to monitor its distribution, because this drug is classified as a hard type. Therefore this drug should not be bought freely. The drug must be administered in the intensive care of skilled health workers.

Indonesia Helps Vaccine Production

Since the new type of corona virus or COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China, until now there has been no drug or vaccine that can ward off this virus. Pharmaceutical companies around the world are continuing their efforts to find a vaccine that can cure positive patients with COVID-19, and are still in the trial phase.

Penny revealed, there is a vaccine that is expected to cure COVID-19. However, the vaccine is still being developed in the United States by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

"I think there is currently a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 that is being developed in America. And vaccine development is being carried out by a CEPI institution," he said.

The Indonesian government through a state-owned company engaged in the production of vaccines and atisera, namely, PT Bio Farma (Persero) has communicated with CEPI so that they can be involved in the production of these vaccines.

"It is now in phase one clinical trials. Bio Farma will be involved in phase two," he said.

BPOM, said Penny, is also accompanying Bio Farma in its efforts to develop the COVID-19 vaccine with CEPI. Penny hopes that the vaccine can be produced as soon as possible.