Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia plans to add another vaccine producer soon, bringing the total to four, and aims to transfer technology from global vaccine producers to boost production, a senior official has said.
Previously, Indonesia had only one vaccine producer, Biofarma. However, in the last two years, the number of producers has increased to three, with two from the private sector, the country’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a statement.
He underscored the importance of diversifying vaccine producers and transferring technology to increase vaccine production capacity globally.
According to Sadikin, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught an important lesson to every country that is not to rely on a single vaccine producer.
He also highlighted the country's role in supporting technology transfer to developing countries, taking Biofarma's collaboration with Senegal to develop vaccine production capacity in Africa as an example.
This move is part of Indonesia’s commitment to strengthen global cooperation in addressing future health challenges, he said the partnership aims to share vaccine technology with Southern Hemisphere so that more lives can be saved.
Indonesian state-run Biofarma has partnered with Merck Sharp Dohme (MSD) to produce HPV vaccines and is also producing polio vaccines that are being distributed to 150 countries through a programme of United Nations Children’s Fund.
The World Health Organisation is now working to simplifying the process to achieve the important goal of ensuring adequate vaccine supply worldwide to prevent the risk of the next pandemic./.
