Luhut Supports The Development Of mRNA Vaccine Production In Indonesia: I'm Sure BPOM And The Ministry Of Health Are The Same

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, supports PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia's plan to develop the production of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in Indonesia.

Luhut conveyed this during a visit to PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia with Deputy Health Minister, Dante Saksono Harbuwono, and Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), Penny Kusumastuti Lukito, in the Pulo Gadung Industrial Estate, East Jakarta, Tuesday.

"We, the government, support this strategic cooperation and I am sure that BPOM and the Ministry of Health will also fully support it", Luhut said in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, September 8.

PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia plans to produce a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in collaboration with Walvax Biotechnology, a Chinese company involved in the research, development, production, and distribution of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and blood products.

Luhut said cooperation in the health sector was an important point, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He hopes that this collaboration can foster knowledge transfer so that development and production can be carried out domestically.

"We also support the Phase 3 Clinical Trial which will soon be carried out by PT Etana, the Emergency Used Authorization process, as well as market guarantees for vaccines that have a high TKDN (Domestic Component Level)", he continued.

Luhut hopes that the transfer of mRNA vaccine technology will create a big leap to support Indonesia's health independence.

"I hope that Indonesia will make a leapfrog with the transfer of mRNA vaccine technology, and in the future biotechnology products in Indonesia will develop and Indonesia's health independence will soon be realized", concluded Luhut.

Meanwhile, President Director of PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia, Nathan Tirtana, expressed his commitment to the production of research and development (RnD) of COVID-19 vaccines based on next-generation mRNA technology in Indonesia which can be stored at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius. The Expert Team from Walvax will also come to Indonesia next week to start technology transfer.

"At this time, the process of cooperation and vaccine production is being finalized, and fully complies with regulations and protocols applicable in Indonesia and WHO", he said.

Furthermore, Nathan then also explained that the production of vaccines will be carried out using single-use technology for multiple products in one utility (the use of technology for various products). The vaccine manufacturing process will begin with plasmid manufacturing, then proceed with the manufacture of mRNA.

"MRNA manufacturing will be carried out outside the cell, to facilitate the purification process, and after that, it will proceed to the mRNA encapsulation stage", he explained.

Nathan also emphasized that the entire research and development process for this vaccine was carried out without testing on animals.

In addition to vaccine production, he also said that his company is also developing oncology products and will start producing epoetin alfa, a drug used to treat anemia in chronic kidney patients, in 2022.