TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Research, Technology, and Higher Education Ministry’s COVID-19 Research and Innovation Consortium Head, Ali Ghufron Mukti, appreciated the research conducted by Surabaya Airlangga University on the drug combinations claimed as COVID-19 cure.

“And also the supporting institutions, BIN (the State Intelligence Agency) and the Army (TNI), especially the Army Chief of Staff who contributed in such a way on realizing the study, including the clinical trial so that the pandemic can be well contained,” said Ali in a press conference, Wednesday, August 19.

Ali reiterated that the Ministry expected the research process went through strict rules and protocols, starting from the ethical clearance, subject selection, up to the monitoring.

He demanded Unair researchers follow the research protocols and meet the requirements in a bid to produce valid clinical trials of the drug combinations. “And so anyone anywhere can believe in the valid results.”

The Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) head Penny Lukito earlier unveiled the results of inspections to the clinical trial of drug combinations claimed by Unair as COVID-19 cure on July 28.

Penny said her side observed critical findings in the process so that the result of the clinical trials conducted by Unair remained invalid.

Read: BPOM Critical Findings When Inspecting Unair's COVID-19 Cure Trials

FRISKI RIANA