BPOM Ensures IndoVac, InaVac, COVID-19 Vaccines And MRNA Halal Domestic Production

Illustration - President Director of PT Biotis FX Sudirman when showing InaVac/VIA's COVID-19 Vaccine packaging

JAKARTA - Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) Penny K Lukito confirmed that all three domestic COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have obtained halal certificates from the relevant authorities. "All halal vaccines have been certified halal, so all domestic COVID-19 vaccines are halal vaccines," said Penny K Lukito in Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, September 28. Vaccine halal certification was issued by the Institute for Food Studies, Drugs and Cosmetics of the Indonesian Ulema Council (LPOM MUI) after going through a series of audits of halal aspects. The three domestic COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in question are the IndoVac Vaccine produced by PT Bio Farma with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), the InaVac Vaccine produced by PT Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia in collaboration with Universitas Airlangga researchers, and the mRNA platform vaccine produced by PT Etana which has not yet been given a trademark. IndoVac is a vaccine with a recombinant protein technology platform that can be adapted to a new variant of COVID-19. Meanwhile, InaVac carries an inactivated virus platform. Penny said PT Etana became the first COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer in Indonesia to currently have a halal certificate in the development of mRNA platform biotechnology products. As is known, mRNA vaccines are one type of vaccine developed to deal with the spread of COVID-19. The vaccine is the latest type with different content from other types of vaccines. Conventional vaccines usually contain viruses or germs that have been weakened or killed. However, the mRNA vaccine (messanger RNA) is a vaccine developed with computerization technology in the DNA sequencing process. The COVID-19 vaccines currently carrying mRNA platforms other than Etana, are manufacturers from the United States, Moderna, and Pfizer. "The vaccine produced by Etana is an mRNA vaccine that can be stored from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. So, I think this is good technology too, we are already in Indonesia," he said. Illustration