Bio Farma Invites The OIC Country Vaccine Manufacturers To Conduct Research Collaborations

Bandung (28/8) The Tunisian and Moroccan delegates representing the Ministry of Health, the vaccine industry of institute Pasteur de Tunis and Pasteur du Maroc Institute, visited Bio Farma on August 28^th, 2018 to study vaccine production from upstream to downstream. Received by M. Rahman Roestan, President Director, Adriansjah Azhari, Director of Research and Development, and Juliman, Production Director of Bio Farma, and Wisnu Utomo, Director of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Bappenas.

Indonesia, which has been designated as the Vaccine Research Center in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the field of Vaccines and Bio Technology in December 2017, attracted the attention of OIC member countries, including Tunisia and Morocco, to seek experience and knowledge regarding vaccine manufacturing from upstream to downstream for vaccine production.

Bio Farma President Director M. Rahman Roestan said that of the 57 OIC member countries, only about seven countries have had vaccine factories in their countries, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal and Iran, and from the seven countries, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for basic vaccines is only Indonesia.

"Indonesia is one of seven countries whose basic vaccine products have been recognized by WHO, so this makes the Tunisian and Moroccan delegates interested in learning how to manage and produce vaccines, Bio Farma with expertise that has been recognized by WHO, shares with other OIC countries with pleasure, Rahman said.

Rahman added "currently the vaccine supply has been running to Saudi Arabia, this cooperation is to meet the needs of vaccines in Arab countries and Gulf countries".

Regarding vaccine products that will be assisted by Bio Farma, for this cooperation, among others, basic immunization products such as Polio, measles, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and the latest are pentavalen, (DTP, Hb, Hib), so they can produce and meet the needs of vaccine with self-reliance.

In addition to sharing about vaccine production, Bio Farma will also invite OIC member countries to conduct research together to find new vaccines, to prevent new diseases, or other innovations.

"The OIC member countries, have many researchers, that we can combine to find new diseases in the future and our challenge is to find vaccines with material that is undoubtedly halal." Rahman said.

The cooperation program to strengthen Indonesia-Morocco-Tunisia Development Cooperation through Reverse Linkage (RL) was carried out on August 27^th-30^th 2018, in Jakarta and Bandung, with the support of the Minister of National Planning and Development / BAPENNAS, Ministry of Health, POM, and Bio Farma .