The clinical trials and processing would be the pace of Bio Farma, supported by the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM). While our duty is to supply the vaccine (in) bulk to Bio Farma as fast as we can.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Research and Technology Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro expects indigenously-developed vaccines against COVID-19 by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to get emergency-use authorization (EUA) in January, 2022.

Eijkman and LIPI are developing vaccines using a recombinant protein platform, while another vaccine based on the adenoviral vector platform is currently under development at the Airlangga University and is expected to obtain emergency-use approval in September, 2021.

"The clinical trials and processing would be the pace of Bio Farma, supported by the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM). While our duty is to supply the vaccine (in) bulk to Bio Farma as fast as we can," Brodjonegoro said in a statement on Tuesday.

Besides state pharmaceutical company Bio Farma, the minister also urged private players to help accelerate the development of the Merah Putih vaccine.

Even though Indonesia has procured vaccines from several foreign producers, the Merah Putih vaccine would be necessary to ensure self-sufficiency against the virus, Brodjonegoro stated.

Another consideration for pushing the domestically-produced vaccine is the coronavirus mutation as it is not yet clear whether the mutated virus could disrupt how existing vaccines work in the human body, he added.

Vaccine research is also expected to anticipate future pandemics or other infectious diseases, he said.

Indonesia is currently developing several COVID-19 vaccines using different platforms. Six research institutions are involved in vaccine development — the Eijkman Institute, LIPI, Universitas Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Airlangga University, and Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

During a parliamentary hearing on Monday, January 18, 2021, Brodjonegoro told House members that Eijkman is expected to prepare the bulk vaccine in March, 2021 and hand it over to Bio Farma.

LIPI is expected to process data, reports, and patent drafting in May, 2021, he added.

Universitas Indonesia will start to process CHO cell in mid-2021, while the ITB may start pre-clinical trials on mice in December, 2021, he informed.

Airlangga University plans to produce synthetic adenoviral by February, 2021, conduct clinical trials mid-year, and start production in late 2021, he added.

Meanwhile, this year, UGM is planning to carry out laboratory research, he said. (INE)

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Editor: Suharto
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