Bio Farma president director Honesti Basyir said the company was ready to launch a Phase III clinical trial for the vaccine in Indonesia before authorities authorize its widespread usage. The trial was made possible thanks to the collaboration with Sinovac, which allowed a transfer of technology and vaccine substances between the two companies, he went on to say.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Honesti said the trial would commence soon in cooperation with Padjajaran University in Bandung, West Java, as well as the Health Ministry's research and development agency.

“It is anticipated that the preliminary result of this Phase III clinical trial can be submitted for emergency use authorization by the BPOM [Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency] by the first quarter of 2021,” Honesti said.

He added the vaccine substances sent from China would be formulated in Bio Farma facilities. The Phase III trial in Indonesia would involve nearly 1,600 volunteers and be funded by Bio Farma.

Once the BPOM authorizes its usage in the country, the pharmaceutical company will produce the vaccine to meet national needs.

Honesti claimed Bio Farma's existing facility had the capacity to produce 100 million doses, but it could increase to 250 million as the company was building a new facility, slated to begin operations by the end of this year. 

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