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Bio Farma Urges OIC Countries to become Self-Reliant in Vaccine
Bandung, W Java, Indonesia, Jun 18, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - The 123-year old Indonesian vaccine manufacturer Bio Farma has urged Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries to be self-reliant in vaccines as imports from industrialized countries are costly.
"Some Islamic countries do have their vaccine making companies but they are not yet recognized by the WHO," said Rahman Rustan, Bio Farma Corporate Secretary, in a workshop organized by Bio Farma in conjuction with the 2nd meeting of OIC vaccine- and medicine manufacturers, here.
In the workshop Indonesia offered to share experience with OIC member countries to strengthen their national regulatory authority (NRA) function in vaccine manufacuring for global markets, held on Monday, the second day of the three-day meeting that wraps up on Wednesday, 19 June 2013.
Rustan added vaccine supplies in developing countries are necessary to prevent infectious diseases, however, as there are limitations on the vaccine industry in developing countries supplies have to be imported from other countries. "We therefore encourage OIC countries to be self-reliant in vaccine," he said.
He went on to say that the vaccines that are needed are those which can be purchased at affordable prices so that they can be used in developing countries. Vaccines which are made in the developed countries are fairly expensive for imports by developing countries.
In practice, Rustan disclosed developing countries obtain vaccines at affordable prices by buying them from developing countries, including Indonesia which has Bio Farma, one of the vaccine producers in a developing country that has already received recognition and standardization of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Bio Farma itself after 123 years of existence, remains focused on research into vaccines. Even in the national immunization program in 2013 Bio Farma developed a new product called Pentabio for disease prevention of Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B and Haemophilius Influenzae Type B.
In the workshop, Lucky S. Slamet, head of Indonesia National Agency for Food and Drug Control, also said she was to share with all OIC member countries experiences in strengthening national regulatory authority functions in vaccine manufacturing.
According to her, NRAs hold a decisive role in guaranteeing the quality of vaccine supplied to the global markets. The WHO always engages NRAs through capacity building efforts so as to ever strengthen them.
"Out of the total 57 OIC member states only five countries having their vaccine manufacturers and out of this five only one that can export its products, namely Bio Farma," Slamet emphasized.
"The WHO has declared us, the Indonesian National Agency of Food and Drug Control, to have performed an international standard control function on vaccine. With this achievement, Indonesia now has a wide opportunity - through Bio Farma - to export its products to international markets," she pointed out.
Bio Farma is Indonesia's only vaccine manufacturer whose products have been recognized by WHO since 1997 that the company can supply its products to over 120 countries.
Currently the needs for Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) vaccines in Indonesia have been supplied solely by Bio Farma by producing and distributing over 1.7 billion doses of vaccine per year to meet the needs of EPI vaccine for national immunization program.
Bio Farma has an outstanding international reputation based on the WHO prequalification for all of its EPI vaccine products and has also implemented green industry and is environment friendly. WHO acknowledges that Bio Farma vaccine products are of high quality, efficacious, and affordable.
Bio Farma products are available through direct distribution or through various agencies such as UNICEF, PAHO. The company has obtained the Best Export Performance from the Indonesian Trade Ministry consecutively in 2010,2011, 2012 as an evidence of its consistent exceptional performance.
Contact:M. Rahman Rustan
Corporate Secretary
Bio Farma
+62 22 2033755
+62 22 2041306
e-mail : pr@biofarma.co.id
Source: PT Bio Farma (Persero)
Sectors: BioTech
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