Bio Farma is collaborating with CEPI to mass development of the vaccine COVID-19 (youtube.com/c/biofarmaID) State-owned pharmaceutical holdi...
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| Bio Farma is collaborating with CEPI to mass development of the vaccine COVID-19 (youtube.com/c/biofarmaID) |
State-owned pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma has been chosen to work as future COVID-19 vaccine producer with the Alliance for Disease Preparedness Developments (CEPI).
Bio Farma Chairman, Honesty Basyir, said that CEPI would use the facility of the company that is said to be able to produce as much as 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine annually once one has been made. Between the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, production is expected to start.
"CEPI partners only with vaccine manufacturers that meet their specifications, like Bio Farma," Honesty said in a Thursday statement.
CEPI is a collaboration of public, private and philanthropic organizations worldwide. It helps to tackle epidemics by creating vaccines. The coalition aims through its COVAX response program to provide its member countries with 2 billion doses of possible COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.
Following a due diligence test in September, the world coalition selected Bio Farma to assess the capabilities of CEPI to produce the vaccine, including its development, laboratory analysis and information technology systems.
Honesty claimed that the relationship would not interrupt the daily operations of the company.
He also expressed his hope that cooperation with CEPI will be expanded to include Bio Farma in more advanced manufacturing technologies than COVID-19 vaccine research.
Bio Farma is one of 29 vaccine manufacturers in the world pre-qualified for acceptable production practices by the World Health Organisation. Previously the pharmaceutical company developed the oral polio type 2 vaccine, which was used in about 150 countries.
The company also has an OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation Organization) vaccine and biotechnology reference laboratory for members.
The Indonesian government has signed several agreements to purchase approximately 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from various developers including China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd., Sinopharm and AstraZeneca from the United Kingdom. It is expected to begin vaccinating the public by January next year.
Bio Farma is also partnering with Sinovac to begin phase III clinical trials of the Chinese company's candidate vaccine in the western Java district of Bandung. (thejakartapost)
