Hendro Situmorang, Jakarta – The Drug and Food Supervisory Agency (BPOM) on Friday issued the emergency use authorization for two local vaccines against Covid-19 called IndoVac and AWcorna.

Indovac is developed by state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma in collaboration with US-based Baylor College of Medicine.

AWcorna, an mRNA vaccine that doesn't use the live virus that causes Covid-19, is jointly developed by Jakarta-based biopharmaceuticals producer Etana Biotechnology Indonesia and Chinese company Abogen-Yuxi Walvax.

The new vaccines will provide more alternatives for citizens aged 18 or older who have yet to get a dose, BPOM Head Penny Lukito said at a news conference in Jakarta.

"Both vaccines have received an edict of halal from the Indonesian Ulema Council and also the halal certification from the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency or BPJPH," Penny said.

Bio Farma President Director Honesti Basyir said earlier that the company plans to produce 20 million doses of IndoVac for the initial phase. The number will be doubled next year with a full-scale target of 100 million doses a year starting from 2024.

More than 171 million Indonesian citizens have received double doses of Covid-19 vaccine, representing 82 percent of the target population.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-launches-two-homegrown-covid-vaccine