Dyaning Pangestika, Jakarta – State pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma will have a chance to become an international vaccine producer as it has partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in vaccine procurement, says Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
CEPI is an innovative global partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil society organizations launched in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics.
"Bio Farma Indonesia has become one out of seven potential drug manufacturers for a COVID-19 vaccine from CEPI," Retno said in a statement on Thursday.
Retno also feels hopeful that the collaboration between Bio Farma and CEPI will open other good opportunities for the pharmaceutical company to bolster their multilateral networking.
According to Retno, CEPI is currently evaluating Bio Farma's capabilities and capacities in producing a COVID-19 vaccine, including its quality and production system, laboratory analysis and technology information system in vaccine production.
"Hopefully we can receive a due diligence result in late September or early October," Retno said.
The government is set to increase Bio Farma's production capacity as soon as a third clinical trial of China-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine is finished and successful.
The government will invite an expert from Europe to increase the production capacity of the future COVID-19 vaccine.
"The Foreign Ministry is also involved in upgrading the vaccine production equipment to achieve a 250 million dosage per year target by inviting an expert from Europe," Retno said. (dis)