Sinovac Vaccine Tested In Place, Bio Farma Calls Viral Content @EnggalPMT Misleading

Sinovac vaccine arrives at Bio Farma laboratory (SumberL BPMI Setpres)

JAKARTA - The photo of the COVID-19 vaccine packaging product made by Sinovac Biotech went viral on Twitter social media after an account called Bandit Merah Putih or @EnggalPMT uploaded it. The reason is that on the vaccine package there is the words "SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero cell) Inactivated only for clinical trials" or for clinical trials. PT Bio Farma, which together with the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) conducted a Sinovac clinical trial, clarified that the viral content was misleading.

The vaccine packaging is predominantly white with a slight orange hue. Inside the package is written in Chinese, which in essence is the specification of each tube containing 0.5 ml. The dose for each human being is 0.5 ml.

Not a few netizens responded to the upload. The majority of them chose not to vaccinate even though they received free vaccine rations from the government. This unwillingness was also influenced by the words 'only for clinical trial' which were captured in the photo of the vaccine packaging.

In response to this, the Corporate Secretary of PT Bio Farma (Persero) Bambang Heriyanto said the Sinovac vaccine packaging was the vaccine packaging used during the third phase of clinical trials, where this clinical trial was carried out since August 2020.

"The packaging for the Sinovac vaccine in circulation won right. But the explanation is wrong. Yes, the name is only for clinical trials, yes, it is only used for phase III clinical trials conducted last August. This is used on a limited basis, and has been injected into 1,620 volunteers, and this is over, ”said Bambang when contacted by VOI, Saturday, January 2.

Bambang also emphasized that the vaccine photo uploaded by the account with the name Red and White Bandit was misleading. This is because the vaccine packaging that will be injected is not in that form but in the form of a vial or small glass bottle with the size of one dose.

"The packaging used is only a clinical trial, while the packaging used is in vials or small bottles.

Later it will be taken using a syringe and will be given an injection. One box contains about 40 vials or doses. It is different in content. It (the one posting) is knowing but I don't know, "he said.

According to Bambang, products that enter the human body must go through a clinical trial stage. On the product packaging, it must also be written as 'only for clinical trial' or for clinical trials and not for mass use.

"Not (the vaccine product to be injected). That's for clinical trials. The international rules should be written down. Everything applies, not only vaccines, new drugs, right? For example, if we want to make a new drug, we have to do a clinical trial, it doesn't mean that we are guinea pigs, "he said.

Bambang hopes that the public will not easily believe the information circulating on social media. In particular, regarding vaccine information that has not been officially conveyed by the government, either through the Ministry of Health or Bio Farma.

Furthermore, he also reiterated that clinical trial III is targeted for completion in January 2021. Where, his party will provide a clinical trial report to the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (POM) to be checked again before an emergency use authorization (EUA) is issued.

"The results of this phase III clinical trial will be used to issue a license to use from BPOM. Now the packaging won't be there (packaging) shouldn't be written only for clinical trial. There is no. Later, there will be a permit from the BPOM for emergency permission. From the packaging it is wrong, it's different, ”he said.