Bio Farma Produces 22 Million Doses Of BUMN COVID-19 Vaccine December 2022

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

MAKASSAR - Bio Farma as one of the state-owned companies engaged in the pharmaceutical sector targets to produce 22 million doses of the SOE COVID-19 vaccine in the initial stage, which is planned for December 2022.

Not without reason, this BUMN COVID-19 vaccine has entered phase 3 clinical trials and is being carried out in the last two regions, namely Padang, West Sumatra and Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Director of Institutional Relations of Bio Farma Sri Harsi Teteki said that he would immediately prepare an EUL (Emergency Use Listing) or permit for emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine in the fourth quarter if it was confirmed that all stages of vaccine manufacture were completed.

"We plan to produce 20 million doses of BUMN COVID-19 vaccine in December 2022. We hope all planning goes smoothly," Sri said during a visit to the clinical trial center in Jeneponto Regency, South Sulawesi, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 13.

Previously, phase 3 clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine had been carried out in a number of areas such as Semarang and Lombok with 1,440 subjects and Jakarta 420 subjects.

Meanwhile, in the South Sulawesi region, the second time in Makassar City and Jeneponto Regency was 465 subjects, while Padang, West Sumatra were 1,725 subjects.

The Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices at the Ministry of Health, Dr Lucia Rizka Andalucia, said that Indonesia, which has a population of around 270 million people, needs so many vaccines that if imports continue to be carried out from other countries, it is considered to be the same as hiring foreigners or preparing income for other countries.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has the opportunity to make a COVID-19 vaccine with available human resources.

"Even though we also have human resources. That way we can solve various sectors, health and the economy that substitute imported vaccines into domestic vaccines. We also have a view, in the future this BUMN COVID-19 vaccine will be sold abroad," said Rizka.

Therefore, Bio Farma is preparing good quality and efficacy. One of the determinants is the implementation of clinical trials.

Rizka also said that he would stop importing the same product to encourage vaccination using domestic products for the people of Indonesia.

Rizka assessed that the product development process, especially the Domestic Component Level (TKDN) reached 80 percent, so that it became a priority.

M Rahman Roestan as Director of Operations for Bio Farma also added that a number of countries that are members of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) have been waiting for the results of the BUMN COVID-19 vaccine products, especially in their own countries.

"Bio Farma prioritizes meeting domestic needs, but we also have global trust for the vaccine industry. For example, countries in Africa, the Middle East and Saudi Arabia are using Indonesia's basic immunization vaccine and waiting for a BUMN COVID-19 vaccine," he said.