BPOM Issues Emergency Use Permits For These 5 Vaccines For Boosters

Head of BPOM Penny K. Lukito in a virtual press conference, Monday, January 10.

JAKARTA - The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for five types or brands of vaccines for the use of a third or booster dose of vaccination.

This was determined after BPOM conducted an assessment of the safety, efficacy, and quality of several COVID-19 vaccines that had obtained EUA as primary vaccines to be evaluated as booster vaccines based on data from the latest supporting clinical trials.

"We report that there are five vaccines that have received emergency use authorization (booster vaccines)," said Head of BPOM Penny K. Lukito in a virtual press conference, Monday, January 10.

The five vaccine brands are CoronaVac (Sinovac), Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Zifivax. BPOM divides the classification of booster vaccines based on homolog or giving booster vaccine doses using the same brand from before, and heterologous or booster doses with different brands from the previous one.

Penny explained that the CoronaVac vaccine is a vaccine produced by PT Bio Farma from Sinovac raw materials. CoronaVac is used for homologous booster.

"PT Bio Farma's CoronaVac vaccine is for a homologous booster which will be given in one dose after six months from the primary vaccination with a complete dose of CoronaVac for 18 years of age," explained Penny.

Then the Pfizer vaccine was used for a homologous booster with the mRNA platform given at least one dose after six months of primary vaccination for ages 18 years and over. Later, the AstraZeneca vaccine was also used for homologous boosters.

Furthermore, Moderna vaccine will be used as a homologous and heterologous booster vaccine at half dose. Modern vaccine heterologs can be used from the primary vaccines of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Jansen.

Lastly, Zifivax vaccine will be used for heterologous vaccines. "This is for a heterologous booster with Sinovac or Sinopharm primers. It is given after 6 months and over," he added.