Jakarta (ANTARA) - University of Airlangga and PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia are hoping to start production of Indonesia's first indigenous vaccine, named Mera Putih (Red-and-White) after the country's national flag, in August 2022.
"Starting August 2022, we will start releasing products (vaccines) massively," president director of PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals, FX Sudirman, said at the MUI Jakarta Office on Thursday.
In the pre-clinical trials, the Red-and-White vaccine has shown high efficacy and the first phase of clinical trials are currently underway to check its safety and efficacy, he said.
Ninety volunteers are participating in the first phase of the clinical trials, he informed. In the second phase, the vaccine will be tested on about 400 participants for immunogenicity, and the third phase clinical trial for testing the efficacy of the vaccine will involve around three thousand participants, he added.
In the third stage, it will also be known whether the vaccine can be used as a booster vaccine or a primary vaccine, Sudirman said.
"Regarding the use, the government has allocated the Red-and-White vaccine for several targets and it can be used as a primary vaccine and booster vaccine, for adults, adolescents, and children," he added.
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Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the indigenous vaccine is planned to be donated to several countries on the African continent.
"Because the penetration of vaccine distribution in Africa is rather low. Many vaccine donations are Moderna and Pfizer, which require logistics with a fairly high temperature of minus 25 to minus 28 degrees Celsius," he added.
President Joko Widodo has agreed to donate the Red-and-White vaccine to other countries, according to the minister.
"So, it will not only be used locally in Indonesia, but also internationally," he said.
The country will pursue the registration of the vaccine with the World Health Organization (WHO) for clinical trials and boosters, he informed. Furthermore, registration is also required to donate doses to Africa, he said.
"It must be ensured that this class of vaccine is at the international level, and there must be as many as possible publications on international research concerning the vaccine, so it can be seen by the world's researchers," he added.
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