Indonesia licenses first home-grown COVID-19 vaccine

Indonesia has approved its first locally developed COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, head of national food and drug agency Penny Lukito said on September 30, hailing it as a step toward “the nation’s independence in access to medicine”.
Indonesia licenses first home-grown COVID-19 vaccine ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: voi.id)

Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia has approved its firstlocally developed COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, head of national food anddrug agency Penny Lukito said onSeptember 30, hailing it as a step toward “the nation’s independence in accessto medicine”.

The IndoVac jab, developed bystate-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma and Texas-based Baylor College ofMedicine, can now be used as a primary dose for an unvaccinated or partiallyvaccinated adult in the country.

It has also beengranted a halal certificate, meaning it can be administered in line with theIslamic faith in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

Lukito said IndoVachas shown an efficacy rate of 92%, while there have been no reports of deathlinked to it in trials. Reported side effects have been “generally mild”.

A clinical study touse it as a booster jab is underway, she said.

The same day, the agency also announcedIndonesia has granted emergency use approval for an mRNA vaccine developed inChina./.

VNA

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