IDI: If BPOM Is Not Professional, Buy All Drugs And Vaccines

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) Daeng M Faqih believes that the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) is professional. He said, if this agency was not professional, the drugs and vaccines currently scattered in the country would be out of order.

"If we say that BPOM is not professional, it is all drugs, vaccines, which number in the thousands, millions," said Daeng in an online discussion broadcast on YouTube, Saturday, April 17.

He also spoke about the polemic of the relationship between Commission IX DPR RI and BPOM, which seemed not to get along because of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by former Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto. He said, the DPR RI, especially Commission IX, which is a partner of BPOM, may supervise.

"But, in my opinion, what the DPR is doing (is enough, red) is to supervise performance, not take over performance," he said.

"If it takes over the performance, I am worried that the activities of the institution, the agency if there cannot then use another approach, for example to the DPR to be resolved. If it is like this it will be difficult," added Daeng.

He is also worried that BPOM is vulnerable to political interests if this kind of thing continues. Thus, all of the agency's work should be maintained in accordance with scientific procedures.

"Do not let this procedure have intervention. Including the support of figures. This is if in the scientific world there is no scientific basis," said Daeng.

Moreover, he considers, any decision taken by the members of parliament is a political decision. "Even though there are experts, the final decision is still a political decision," he said.

As previously reported, the Nusantara Vaccine was getting more polemic after a number of political figures and officials from the DPR RI joined forces to volunteer for phase II clinical trials at the Gatot Soebroto Central Army Hospital (RSPAD), Jakarta, Wednesday, April 15.

In this stage, the vaccine volunteers will take a blood sample and process it for 7 days to then be injected back into the body. Even though this vaccine has not received the approval of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) to continue.

The reason is that there are several conditions that have not been fulfilled in vaccine development, namely Good Clinical Practical, Proof of Concept, Good Laboratory Practice and Good Manufacturing Practice.

Not only that, the next problem is that the antigen of the Nusantara vaccine does not come from an Indonesian virus but from the United States, where the genoric sequence and strain of the virus are not known.