Bio Farma Is Looking For Private Companies That Want To Help With The Packaging Of Red And White Vaccine

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JAKARTA - President Director of PT Bio Farma Honesti Basyir said that currently, his party is looking for private companies in the pharmaceutical sector to assist in the production process of the Red and White vaccine.

Honesti admitted that the medical facility owned by this state-owned company cannot carry out the filling line process or filling doses by itself.

Therefore, Bio Farma opens space for private parties who wish to partner in the packaging of vaccines produced in this country.

"Because we are currently producing the COVID-19 vaccine, of course, we are currently selecting with several private pharmaceutical industries in the filling line process. Some of them can quickly help produce the Red and White vaccine", Honesti said in a virtual press conference, Friday, 16. April.

Currently, the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology is still developing the Red and White vaccine seeds, before finally being handed over to Bio Farma for the production process.

"We have reached the final stage, where we have been able to develop recombinant proteins according to the target, namely protein S and protein N, proteins that will be used as vaccine candidates", said Chairman of Eijkman Amin Soebandrio.

Amin admitted that this process passed the target, which should have been completed at the end of last March. However, he ensured that the development of the Red and White vaccine seedlings was carried out as well as possible.

"The next process will be carried out more by friends from Bio Farma. Of course, Eijkman will not immediately give up his hands, but will still participate in further developments up to phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials", said Amin.

For information, the phase 1 clinical trial is targeted to start in March 2022, then continue with phase 2 and phase 3. Then, the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) estimates that an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Red and White vaccine will come out in June 2022.