Indonesia plans August roll-out for locally made jab, with trials under way

Indonesia will seek to launch a home-grown Covid-19 vaccine in August, with the first phase of clinical trials for the Merah Putih vaccine now under way.

Analysts said it was an important development for Indonesia - where more than 65 per cent of the eligible population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 - if a vaccine can be produced domestically from a trusted source.

Research on the vaccine - named for the red and white colours of the Indonesian flag - is conducted by Surabaya-based Airlangga University and local pharmaceutical company Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia.

The first phase of the trials on vaccine safety, involving 90 adult volunteers, began on Feb 9. This will be followed by the second phase next month with 405 volunteers, and the third in April with up to 5,000 volunteers.

The later phases will test if the vaccine, which uses an inactivated virus, can stimulate an immune response against the virus.

Professor Fedik Abdul Rantam, who leads Airlangga University's vaccine research team, told The Straits Times that the vaccine will protect humans from existing coronavirus variants. He did not mention any specific variant.

In pre-clinical trials involving animals, the vaccine's efficacy against the Delta variant was shown to be 85 per cent.

Prof Fedik said the research team hopes to gain emergency-use authorisation from the Indonesia Food and Drug Monitoring Agency in July if the trials are successful, and the vaccine will be ready for launch in August.

It is designed for various groups, including children and pregnant women, he added, but said the exact groups would be determined after the third phase of the trials.

Indonesia - the world's fourth-most populous nation - has so far relied on foreign vaccines, mainly Sinovac, which it purchased or received as donations.

More than a year after its vaccination roll-out, 67.4 per cent of the 208.3 million people eligible have been fully vaccinated, while 4.1 per cent have had boosters.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the vaccine being developed can serve as a booster jab or a vaccine for children, especially those aged three to six, and that it can also be donated to other nations in need, especially in Africa.

Biotis' production facility in Bogor, West Java, is capable of producing 240 million doses a year.

Biotis president and director F.X. Sudirman told ST the company will initially focus on providing booster jabs for children.

"Our main target is the government's vaccination programme, so it will be prioritised for domestic needs," he said.

The Health Minister has underlined the importance of developing vaccines locally, given the large population size and the uncertainty of when the pandemic will end.

"We believe that this pandemic will not end quickly... So having the vaccine ready and developed in Indonesia would be a benefit for all of us," Mr Budi said recently.

The vaccine project faced delays and some initial public scepticism, including on religious grounds. The Indonesian Ulema Council recently granted it a halal certification, giving it a much-needed move to boost public confidence.

Dr Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist from Griffith University in Australia, said the vaccine was a "big and strategic move" for Indonesia, which will need more vaccines in the future for other diseases in its growing population.

"If (vaccine development) can be carried out domestically, potential obstacles related to doubt over its process, research, halal status and efficacy will decrease. It's all about trust," he told ST.

"If people see the research is done in Indonesia by Indonesians, they will have a different level of trust, and this will affect the acceptability of the vaccine."

Indonesia has had over five million confirmed Covid-19 cases.