Bio Farma Boss 'complains' To DPR: Pfizer Asks For A Clause Of Immunity If There Is A Vaccination Problem

The President Director of Bio Farma, Honesti Basyir. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Bio Farma (Persero) Honesti Basyir said that he was still negotiating with Pfizer BioNTech regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. One of them is related to a legal request from Pfizer, if there is a problem with the vaccination program in the country.

"There are several clauses that they ask for some kind of freedom or release from the claims of lawsuits if there is a problem when the vaccination program is given," he said, during a Working Meeting with Commission IX of the DPR with Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Tuesday, January 12.

According to Honesti, the Government of Indonesia is still discussing this clause with Pfizer.

"We are still discussing it so we can't just blank check, how about this clause we negotiate with Pfizer BioNTech," he said.

Apart from that, Honesti said the government had also signed an agreement with the vaccine company Novavax from the United States and Canada and AstraZeneca from England and Sweden. Meanwhile, to date, 3 million doses of Sinovac vaccine have arrived in Indonesia.

Honesti said the government had secured 140 million doses of Sinovac vaccine. The Novavax and AstraZeneca vaccines that Indonesia will get are 50 million doses each.

In addition, he said, currently the Indonesian government is still waiting for the Covax / Gavi vaccine confirmation that will be distributed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Covax / Gavi is an international organization that funds vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.

Previously, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the government continues to lobby GAVI so that Indonesia can get a total of 108 million doses of vaccine that will be given free of charge. GAVI is a multilateral vaccine alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Budi hopes to get more of these free vaccines. That way, vaccine purchases in the other four channels can be suppressed. This means that the government can save the budget for the purchase of vaccines. Currently, said Budi, Indonesia has only received the assurance of the Covax / Gavi vaccine with a total of 54 million doses.

"Until two days ago we were still talking with them and there is a possibility that they could increase it to 108 million," he said at a working meeting with Commission IX DPR, Tuesday, January 12.