Bio Farma: Indonesia Independent Of The COVID-19 Vaccine In 2022

Illustration. (Photo: Biofarma)

JAKARTA - The government continues to strive to meet the need for a COVID-19 vaccine for the vaccination program in an effort to reduce the number of cases of COVID-19 transmission. Currently, the government still depends on vaccines in collaboration with a number of producers in several countries until 2021. Meanwhile, in 2022 Indonesia will produce its own vaccines.

Project Integration Manager R & D Biofarma (Persero) Neni Nurainy say, as a first step the company will carry out the provision of vaccines short term with tech transfer downstream process (formulation) using a bulk vaccine COVID-19 with potential partners in the Sinovac from China and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

Collaboration with Sinovac, said Neni, is currently ongoing AFSE III clinical trials starting in August and ending in January. Meanwhile, the process will be completed in September 2021. However, Indonesia can apply for emergency use authotization to the BPOM, so that in the first quarter of 2021, routine vaccine production can be made at Bio Farma.

Neni said Indonesia benefited from cooperation with Sinovac. Because, there will be a transfer of technology from September 2020 to January 2021. So, Indonesia will rely on the production of domestic vaccines, namely the Red and White vaccine in 2022.

"In the long term we want to be independent of vaccines. We are collaborating with the Red and White vaccine consortium in collaboration with Eijkman, the Research and Development Agency, assisted by the Minister of Research and Technology and the Ministry of Health," he said, during a coffee ceremony for BUMN Contribution from BUMN Pharmacy to Overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic, Thursday, 15 October.

The Red and White Vaccine is a collaboration of the triple helix which includes the government, academics and the private sector, namely PT Biofarma (Persero), Eijkman Institute, Balitbangkes Ministry of Health, BPOM, and Ministry of Research and Technology.

The target is that Eijkman will complete the Red and White vaccine seed in early 2021. The Red and White vaccine seed will be developed through clinical trials by Biofarma. After that series, it is hoped that the Red and White vaccine can get BPOM approval, so that it can be used in 2022.

"In the medium or long term, it is clear that we want to achieve vaccine independence, therefore vaccine development must go through the upstream, therefore we are conducting a consortium of cooperation with the national COVID-19 vaccine or the Red and White vaccine," he explained.

Currently, said Neni, there are four commitments to purchase vaccines pocketed by Indonesia from a number of countries. First, Sinovac has committed 3 million doses of vaccine by the end of December 2020.

Sinovac will deliver 1.5 million doses of vaccine in the first week of November and 1.5 million doses in the first of December 2020, plus 15 million doses of vaccine in bulk. Next year, Sinovac has committed 125 million doses of vaccine

Second, Sinopharm has committed 15 million doses of vaccine this year. Of these, as many as 5 million doses began arriving in November 2020. Next year, Sinopharm promises to deliver 50 million doses.

Third, Cansino undertakes 100 thousand doses of vaccine by November 2020, and around 15 million-20 million for 2021. Fourth, AstraZeneca will have 100 million doses of vaccine next year.