State-owned pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma is welcoming partners in developing vaccines, biosimilars, herbal medicines, medical supplies and other pharmaceutical products.
The 130-year-old company – and its subsidiaries of PT Kimia Farma Tbk and PT Indonesia Farma (Indo Farma) Tbk – has been known as the only human vaccine producer in the country and the largest in Southeast Asia.
“We believe that the partners we are looking for will enable us to invest in production and manufacturing capacity as well as develop our efficiency and obtain more sublicenses to manufacture products in Indonesia,” State-Owned Enterprises Deputy Minister Pahala Nugraha Mansury said at the Indonesia-Europe Business Forum on March 2, 2022.
According to the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Indonesia’s pharmaceutical market is the largest in ASEAN, with the market value of IDR141.6 billion by 2021.
Former Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, whose served in President Joko Widodo’s Cabinet fro 2009-2014, said there were 220 companies in the pharmaceutical industry in Indonesia and 90 percent of them focused on the downstream sector in the production of medicines. Meanwhile, the government continued to seek to reduce imports by 35 percent until the end of 2022.
Bio Farma to become mRNA vaccine hub
Mansury explained that Bio Farma was responsible for producing and distributing vaccines in Indonesia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Bio Farma will be one of the hubs for manufacturing mRNA vaccines in the country. Research, development, display and distribution of Bio Farma’s products, including vaccines, requires the company to engage in several partnerships.
“I think one of the most significant things we are doing is building Indonesia’s capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines. We have been collaborating with Baylor College of Medicine in the United States, which illustrates how Indonesia can build a much stronger partnership with an organization outside of the country to develop its capacity to produce vaccine seeds,” Mansury said.
Currently, Bio Farma is developing two vaccine formulations. Both preclinical and clinical phases of the trial show a very encouraging result.
Mansury believed Bio Farma would obtain emergency use authorization for the vaccines from Indonesia’s Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) by 2022. Furthermore, the company intends to launch vaccines by the second quarter of 2022, especially for booster injections and paediatric vaccinations.
Indonesia does not intend to use the vaccines domestically. The government is working with the WHO to acquire Emergency Use Listing (EUL), develop a brand new vaccine platform and utilize the existing protein subunits and inactivated viruses. The country has developed an mRNA vaccine platform and aims to become one of the hubs for manufacturing mRNA vaccines and research and development in Indonesia.
Mansury said Indonesia plans to turn Bio Farma into a biotechnology company by producing biosimilars and other biotechnological products. In addition, he stated: “With this partnership, we will be in a position to become a bioscience company.”
Kimia Farma looks for partnership
As for Kimia Farma, apart from operating 1,300 pharmacies and 400 clinics across the nation, the company is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company that produces and distributes pharmaceuticals. It plays a critical role in helping Indonesia to become more independent in the medical sector.
Kimia Farma and South Korean company Sung Wun Pharmacopia Co. Ltd. are collaborating in developing active pharmaceutical ingredients. Molnupiravir – a new antiviral drug that is being investigated for its potential to treat COVID-19 – is also produced solely by Kimia Farma in Indonesia.
“All of these things can be considered examples of the steps we are taking to become more capable of manufacturing medical products in Indonesia,” Mansury said.
Currently, Kimia Farma has also been looking for a partnership since last year. Now, five parties have indicated a willingness to become the partners of Kimia Farma and its drugstore chain PT Kimia Farma Apotek.
Indo Farma focuses on domestic products
Another Bio Farma subsidiary, Indo Farma, is specializing in herbal products and medical supplies. Indonesia will also become more autonomous when it comes to producing herbal medicines and other medical supplies, according to Mansury.
Indo Farma will be the central state enterprise in this process. He said the State-owned Enterprises Ministry has already prepared a road map for Indo Farma to develop its capability in producing medical supplies. The government, particularly the Health Ministry, is committed to producing more domestically manufactured products. At present, more than 50% of the products are produced locally.
