Medical and Institutional Relations Director at Bio Farma Sri Harsi Teteki stated that her side had cooperated with American multinational pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) to produce the 3.1 million HPV vaccine doses.
"This is cooperation with MSD to supply 3.1 million doses to be given to female (students) in 5 and 6 grades of elementary school," she told the press during the Road to Zero HPV Stronger Together with Srikandi BUMN, which is the SOEs' women community event here on Friday.
She affirmed that Bio Farma always supports government programs to prevent cases of cervical cancer through prevention that is carried out as early as possible.
"Thus, the hope is to prevent cervical cancer. Fifth-grade elementary school children are not yet married, so before marriage, they will be protected by the HPV vaccine," he stated.
Teteki explained that the HPV vaccine produced by Bio Farma would be sent to the Ministry of Health and then distributed for free to 38 provinces in Indonesia to support achieving the target of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030.
"Alhamdulillah (thank God), we carried out the Road to Zero HPV Stronger Together with Srikandi BUMN, which is in line with government programs. It is hoped that by 2030, Indonesia will be free from the number two killer disease among women," she remarked.
Apart from prevention efforts through the HPV vaccine, Bio Farma has also produced a urine-based HPV detector named CerviScan.
She expressed hope that the presence of CerviScan would suppress the number of deaths due to cervical cancer in Indonesia.
"Urine test is much easier, more comfortable, with a high level of sensitivity. It can increase the early detection rate, so that treatment can also be carried out as quickly as possible," she remarked.
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Translator: Ricky Prayoga, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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