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COVID-19: A blessing in disguise for drug development
Thanks in part to medical advancements during the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia may be able to emerge as a leader in the biotech sector in the years to come.
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A woman (left) reacts while receiving a booster vaccine for COVID-19 in Jakarta, on March 29. (AFP/Adek Berry)
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dopted worldwide, health protocols to prevent COVID-19 transmission take the form of wearing masks, washing one’s hands, social distancing and quarantine, among other practices. However, those measures are not enough to beat the pandemic. There is a need to develop more effective medicines and vaccines.
The World Health Organization has been leading the global fight against the pandemic. Governments, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, philanthropists and individuals have worked together to discover and provide safer and more effective medicines and vaccines.
The Indonesian government, too, has been doing great in dealing with COVID-19. In particular, the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has tried its best to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines and vaccines against COVID-19.
Together with an expert team, the BPOM conducts a scientific pre-marketing evaluation of medicines and vaccine candidates based on chemistry-manufacturing-controls (CMC), pre-clinical test data and clinical trials, in accordance with the WHO guidelines.
The BPOM has so far authorized several COVID-19 medicines and vaccines – both primary and booster – for emergency use. For post-marketing control, the BPOM ensures vaccine stability in the distribution process, quality control and post-marketing surveillance, also known as pharmacovigilance.
COVID-19 has significantly impacted molecular research in Indonesia, including by resulting in the procurement of advanced instruments and the upgrading of the biosafety levels (BSLs) of laboratories. Without much fanfare, Bio Farma, the holding company for state-owned pharmaceutical companies, has recently announced the country’s first home-grown vaccine against COVID-19.
The vaccine, Indovac, was developed in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, the United States. The BPOM, which was involved in the local vaccine development, authorized Indovac for emergency use on Sept. 28. The vaccine has also obtained halal certification.
