At a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR), followed online on Tuesday, BPOM Head Penny K. Lukito noted that her agency had issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Indovac vaccine produced by state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma to be used for booster vaccinations among people aged 18 years and above.
Meanwhile, for Inavac, produced by PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia, the EUA for booster vaccinations will be issued around November 12 or the end of this week, she remarked.
Lukito said the BPOM supports aspects of drug self-sufficiency, in this case, vaccines and their development. The agency is associated as a regulator of the assistance in meeting the requirements and standards.
First, regarding the standards of the products, the BPOM provides assistance and conducts development, starting from research to meeting good laboratory practices, good manufacturing practices, and good clinical trial practices.
The BPOM will thereafter evaluate results, related to aspects of drug and vaccine development for efficacy and safety, and of course, quality, she further noted.
Moreover, the BPOM is assisting in the preparation of production facilities to meet good manufacturing practices.
"We provide assistance for the preparation of facilities, construction of facilities that really meet the good manufacturing practices requirements," she remarked.
The agency's efforts include training researchers and industry players on good laboratory practices, good manufacturing practices, and good clinical trial practices.
As part of the efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting as many as 234,666,020 citizens.
According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of November 8, 2022, as many as 205,206,052 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 172,022,447 have been administered the second dose, 65,486,977 have taken the third dose or first booster, and 686,599 have received the fourth dose or second booster.
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Translator: Devi Nindy, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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