Once COVID-19 becomes endemic, people over the age of six months may be administered the COVID-19 vaccine, just like the influenza vaccine, PT Bio Farma's president director, Honesti Basyir, said here on Monday.
The domestic market for COVID-19 vaccines during the endemic stage is estimated to not be as large as during the pandemic, he pointed out.
Therefore, Bio Farma will target overseas markets, like in the case of polio vaccines which were exported to several countries across the world.
Currently, there are three indigenous Merah Putih COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development in Indonesia.
One is being produced by Airlangga University and PT Biotis, another by Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology and PT Bio Farma, and the third by PT Bio Farma and Boulevard Medicine.
All the vaccines have entered the third phase of the clinical trial.
The plan is to obtain Emergency-Use Authorization (EUA) from the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) for all the vaccines by the end of July 2022.
Related news: Merah Putih Vaccine phase 3 trial conducted alongside booster trial
However, in order to export COVID-19 vaccines to overseas markets, Bio Farma will still need an EUA from the World Health Organization (WHO), Basyir explained.
"Thus, the production has export value once the domestic demand is fulfilled," he said.
The clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Bio Farma has cost the company around Rp120 billion so far, he added.
"For the production phase, we already have our own facility," he said.
The Merah Putih vaccine's efficacy test has not been carried out during the clinical trial due to a lack of volunteers, he informed.
Related news: Merah Putih Vaccine heading for phase 3 clinical trial
Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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