"Production could be up to 500 million doses in total. If it is necessary, increase it when Indonesia becomes a global vaccine production hub. We will increase it," Minister Thohir stated at the kick-off of a press conference on the SOE Vaccine Phase 3 Vaccine, accessed via Zoom here on Thursday.
The vaccine, with a sub-unit recombinant protein platform, was developed in collaboration with PT Bio Farma, Baylor College of Medicine, and Eijkman.
Two stages of clinical trials of the vaccine that have been completed are production facilities to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards.
In the final clinical trial, which was expected to run until July 2022, a study was conducted, in which the SOE Vaccine was administered to 4,050 subjects in the age bracket of 18-70 years to gauge the safety of administering primary, booster, and child vaccines.
"We expect that during this third clinical trial, (it) will pass (as) the primary vaccine. It is hoped that the government can use it as a booster vaccine," he affirmed.
In the early stages of production, the vaccine was prioritized for domestic needs, with some 120 million doses allocated. Production could be pushed up to 500 million doses to support Indonesia's role as the world's vaccine hub.
Thohir affirmed that the name, SOE Vaccine, was for the initial registration requirement during the clinical trial process in Indonesia.
"(For) the name of the SOE vaccine, in future, we will consult with the president, whether the name of this vaccine will be changed. (It is) because while giving a name, it does not mean that we are arrogant; as though claiming that this belongs to a certain group. (We named it as such) because at the beginning, we have to register it," he stated.
Currently, four COVID-19 vaccines are being prepared for domestic production. Apart from the SOE Vaccine, the Red and White Vaccine is being developed by Airlangga University researchers along with PT Biotis; and the Red and White Vaccine developed by PT Bio Farma and Boulevard Medicine.
Moreover, the Zifivax Vaccine is being developed by PT JBio through technology transfer from Anhui Zhifei Longco, China, for the development of a sub-unit recombinant protein platform vaccine. In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine, other vaccines will be produced, such as for meningitis, measles rubella, TB, and HPV.
At that time, the physical construction stage for the Zifivax Vaccine had begun, and the production equipment had been procured to meet the fill-finish production target during the September-December 2022 period.
Another domestic vaccine is Etana, developed in collaboration with Yuxi Walvax, China, for the production of the first COVID-19 vaccine mRNA platform in Indonesia.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
