Minister Of Health Budi Asks Molnupiravir To Be Produced In Indonesia

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said the government has a number of strategies to secure the stock of COVID-19 drugs in the country, including Molnupiravir which is an antiviral drug.

At least there are short-term and long-term strategies to secure drugs so that Indonesia will not be in trouble if there is an increase in active cases. The short-term strategy is to import so that stocks are maintained.

"Our short-term strategy is to import quickly so that before Nataru (Christmas and New Year) there will be stock," said Budi in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, September 8.

"So if it happens (increase in cases, ed) but hopefully nothing will happen when we are ready for the medicine," he added.

Budi said that for the antiviral drugs to be imported, Indonesia had two choices, namely Molnupiravir from the manufacturer Merck and Paxlovid from the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer.

"But who we will choose later is the one who has given a commitment to build factories in Indonesia," said the former Deputy Minister of BUMN. Meanwhile, for the medium and long term, the government will ask drug manufacturers to build factories in the country. "He can invest directly, he can cooperate with state-owned companies, but the important thing is that he builds factories," said Budi.

In this way, Budi hopes that Indonesia will later have drug resistance to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, the government will also continue to open communications with pharmaceutical manufacturers, including with Merck and Pfizer.

"This week the Coordinating Minister (Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan) will lead a discussion with the two companies which hopefully we can resolve in the not too distant future," concluded Budi.