Indonesia Highlights: Indonesian Soldier in Papua Defects to Insurgents | BPOM: Indonesia's Merah Putih Vaccine to Kick Off Production in 2022 | Indonesia Bans Lobster Seed Exports |

BPOM: Indonesia's Merah Putih Vaccine to Kick Off Production in 2022

The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency or BPOM has announced that production of Indonesia’s homegrown Merah Putih (red and white) vaccines is set to kick off in early 2022.

"We hope to start mass production of the Merah Putih vaccine, which is a 'deactivated virus', in the beginning of 2022. The vaccine will be jointly produced by Airlangga University and Biotis Ltd," said BPOM head Penny Lukito in a press conference Friday.

"BPOM will assist Airlangga University and Biotis Ltd. in fulfilling the good manufacturing practice (GMP) clinical trials for the vaccines."

She added that the simultaneous development of the Merah Putih vaccine by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology (LMB) and Bio Farma Ltd., which is made with a recombinant protein platform, is also expected to be produced in 2022.

"We hope to grant EUA or Emergency Use Authorization [to the Eijkman and Bio Farma Merah Putih Vaccine] by the first semester of 2022 on completion of clinical trials. Then we can start producing the vaccine in the second semester of 2022," Penny said.

Eijkman LMB Chairman Amin Soebandrio said he aims to obtain the Merah Putih vaccine's EUA by June 2022.

The Merah Putih vaccine is developed by a research consortium under the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency (Kemenristek/BRIN).

Indonesia hopes the homegrown vaccines will ensure that the country's vaccination needs are met and make the country an example of global health resilience.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/04/17/074443674/bpom-indonesias-merah-putih-vaccine-to-kick-off-production-in-2022?page=all#page2. 

Indonesia Bans Lobster Seed Exports

Indonesia officially banned the export of lobster seeds, months after the Corruption Eradication Board or KPK arrested disgraced Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries [KKP] Edhy Prabowo in November 2020 for illegally exporting the commodity.

“[The KKP] will not issue permits to export lobster seeds, as we seek to prioritize cultivation of the lobsters to meet rising [domestic] demand as Indonesia’s population increases,” said KKP acting Director General for Surveillance of Marine and Fisheries Resources Antam Novambar.

“We will export the [crustaceans] once they are large enough to be consumed.” Antam warned that lobster seed smugglers will find newer, more innovative ways to smuggle the lobster seeds.