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Indonesia has secured a commitment of 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for delivery next year, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said from London on Wednesday. .
Retno and Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir led a state delegation on a two-day trip to London this week to meet with various stakeholders, including AstraZeneca executives, who signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Indonesian Ministry of Health on the acquisition of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Before their trip to the UK, Retno and Erick embarked on a similar mission to China in August to secure massive supplies of potential COVID-19 vaccines from various Chinese vaccine producers, including Sinovac and Sinopharm, establishing a future reserve of nearly 300. millions. doses until the end of next year.
In the second leg of the August trip to the United Arab Emirates, ministers oversaw the agreements reached between two state pharmaceutical companies, Kimia Farma and Indofarma, and Group 42 (G42) Health Care, an Emirati company based on artificial intelligence that participates actively in the research, development and distribution of COVID-19 testing and treatment applications.
“At the meeting with AstraZeneca, we discussed mainly in detail the vaccine supply commitment, in addition to the bilateral commitments we previously had with Sinovac and Sinopharm / G42,” Retno told reporters Wednesday.
Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartanto previously said the government would make a 50 percent down payment for a possible AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of this month in a deal that could be valued at $ 500 million.
Retno said the Indonesian and AstraZeneca negotiating teams had virtually reached an agreement for a candidate vaccine that used a non-replicating viral vector platform and was one of the world’s leading potential COVID-19 vaccines, currently in the final stage. human trials.
The vaccine, developed with the help of researchers at the University of Oxford, could provide early analysis of data from its various large trials over the next two months, according to reports.
“Indonesia has submitted a request for a vaccine supply of 100 million [doses] by 2021. AstraZeneca has responded positively. The first delivery is expected to take place in the first half of 2021 and will take place gradually, ”said Retno.
He also said that AstraZeneca was “very interested” in establishing long-term strategic cooperation and collaboration with Indonesia.
Indonesia has emphasized the importance of the safety and efficacy of future vaccines, which according to the foreign minister would be an important part of the nation’s collaboration with AstraZeneca.
Also read: ‘The show must go on’: How the pandemic shapes Indonesian diplomacy at the UN
The government is confident in the launch of COVID-19 vaccines to stop the viral outbreak in the country and has begun stockpiling potential vaccines despite real guarantees of their proven efficacy or potency.
The ministers’ visit comes despite AstraZeneca’s decision last week to pause its global trials, including large, late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to unexplained illness in a study participant.
Indonesia has consistently recorded a high number of new COVID-19 cases since last month, with nearly 350,000 confirmed infections and more than 12,000 deaths as of Wednesday.
In addition to signing agreements with AstraZeneca on Wednesday, Indonesia also signed an LOI with Imperial College London (ICL) and VacEquity Global Health (VGH) for a future research and development collaboration on a self-powered RNA (saRNA) vaccine platform, between others. matters.
“Indonesia and ICL are still discussing the possibility of conducting a phase 3 clinical trial of the saRNA vaccine in Indonesia. The saRNA vaccine is important because it allows the development of modular or ’emerging’ manufacturing units that can guarantee rapid access to the vaccine anywhere in the world, ”said Retno.
The delegation also held meetings with various Indonesian researchers and students in the field of medicine, especially in the development of COVID-19 diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.
They had a meeting with Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) CEO Richard Hatchett to follow up on due diligence for a deal with Bio Farma last month.
According to Retno, CEPI expressed its appreciation for Indonesia’s commitment to collaborate with the foundation and reported that the due diligence process at Bio Farma had shown good results. Soon, CEPI would be ready to work with the state pharmaceutical company, he said.
“Indonesia also expressed its desire to join CEPI’s Investor Council. The magnitude of Indonesia’s contribution to CEPI will be further discussed, ”Retno said.
Also read: The COVID-19 vaccine will be priced at Rp 200,000 per dose: Bio Farma
During the two-day visit, Retno also held talks with his British counterpart Dominic Raab to discuss efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
“The Foreign Secretary met with Foreign Minister Retno to discuss international cooperation to find a vaccine for COVID-19, strengthen bilateral relations between the UK and Indonesia, address climate change and the UK’s bid to become a dialogue partner with [ASEAN]”Said a spokesman for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The UK is Indonesia’s fourth largest trading partner in Europe after Germany, the Netherlands and Italy and is currently the largest European importer of wood. It is also the second largest investment partner in the region after the Dutch.
He said that Indonesia welcomed the interest of several UK investors in the renewable energy sector, which includes Aggreko, Nova Innovation and Orbital Marine Power.
The partners signed a memorandum of understanding on partnership in research and innovation in August and another on an action plan for antimicrobial resistance in June.
On the multilateral track, the two countries are committed to supporting the work of cooperation platforms such as the World Health Organization, the GAVI vaccine alliance, and CEPI within the COVAX Facility, particularly with regard to equitable access to safe vaccines. and affordable.
Also read: The UN needs an ‘immediate infusion’ of $ 15 billion for the global vaccine fund
“In terms of trade cooperation, I conveyed Indonesia’s concern about Britain’s plan to impose due diligence measures on various commodities, including palm oil, timber and wood-based products. This policy has the potential to become a non-tariff barrier for Indonesian exports to the UK, ”Retno said.
The minister added that the two sides should start talks to agree on “mutual recognition” of terms based on each country’s respective policies on supply chain sustainability.
Editor’s note: The article has been updated to include background information on AstraZeneca’s recent decision to pause its global trials.
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