Labeled Haram By MUI, AstraZeneca: Our Vaccine Does Not Contain Porks Or Other Animal Products

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JAKARTA - The producer of the COVID-19 vaccine brand AstraZeneca responded to the decision of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a haram fatwa against AstraZeneca for containing trypsin from pigs.

AstraZeneca admits that they respect MUI's decision. However, they denied it. AstraZeneca claims that this viral vector vaccine production process stage does not use and come into contact with pork or other animal products.

"It is important to note that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine, is a viral vector vaccine that does not contain products of animal origin, as confirmed by the British Medicines and Health Products Authority," AstraZeneca said in a statement, Saturday, March 20.

AstraZeneca explained that their vaccine has been approved in more than 70 countries around the world including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco.

"Then many Islamic councils around the world have expressed the attitude that this vaccine is allowed for use by Muslims," he said.

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19. Clinical trials found that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine was 100 percent protective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death, more than 22 days after the first dose was given.

AstraZeneca's vaccination study, he continued, has been conducted based on a real-world research model that found that one dose of vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization by 94 percent in all age groups, including those aged 80 years and over.

"Other studies have also shown that vaccines can reduce the rate of disease transmission by two-thirds," said AstraZeneca.

Secretary of the MUI Fatwa Commission, Asrorun Niam Sholeh, said that his party allowed the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in national vaccination. Although legally the vaccine from England is not allowed because it contains pork trypsin.

MUI allows the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the national vaccination program, even though the composition of the British vaccine contains pork which is forbidden by Muslims.

"The legal provision is that the first vaccine, AstraZeneca products, is haram, because the production stages use trypsin from pigs," he explained.