Indonesia Aims to Export Covid-19 Vaccine Manufactured by State-Run Bio Farma

KOMPAS.com- Indonesian State Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has set the long-term target of exporting Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by state-run pharmaceutical company Bio Farma once it manages to fill domestic needs for the product.

“I am certain that Indonesia can meet its needs for a Covid-19 vaccine. I am just as sure that we can export [the vaccine] to other countries who might need it,” Erick said of the vaccine, which Bio Farma claimed has reached stage 3 in its development.

Also read: Indonesia's Bio Farma to Produce up to 250 Million Doses of Covid-19 Vaccines 

“The 250 million vaccine doses that Bio Farma is set to produce by next year is sufficient for Indonesia. So we will not rule out exporting [the vaccine] to other countries.”

Erick urged the public to have confidence in the vaccine once it passes stage 3 clinical tests. “Bio Farma has had experience in producing vaccines since 1980,” he said.

“Many countries, especially those in the Middle East, have either learned from Bio Farma or used the vaccines they produced. The company currently has 15 vaccines that passed the World Health Organization's Pre-Qualification tests.”

Also read: Indonesia's Bio Farma Seeks Volunteers to Test Coronavirus Vaccines

Bio Farma President Director Honesti Basyir confirmed the company’s plan to produce 250 million Covid-19 vaccines.

“We will collaborate with China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Co. in producing inactivated platform vaccines, a method mastered by Bio Farma.”

Bio Farma has been recently stepping up its efforts to find a vaccine. The company's initiatives include finding 1,620 volunteers aged 18 to 59 to test its coronavirus vaccines.

Clinical trials of the vaccine will involve Bio Farma's laboratory and Padjajaran University’s Faculty of Medicine as well as the National Food and Drug Testing Center (PPOMN).

Bio Farma has made a name for itself in producing internationally approved vaccines for diseases ranging from SARS to the H1N1 Swine Flu. 

(Editor: Pythag Kurniati)

Source:

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/08/05/18413491/erick-thohir-bio-farma-bisa-ekspor-vaksin-covid-19-untuk-membantu-negara?page=all#page2.