TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bio Farma will be receiving bulks of Ready to Fill ("RTF") Covid-19 vaccine concentrate from Sinovac. The number is expected to reach 50 million doses starting from November 2020 until March 2021.

The confirmation was marked with the signing of the Preliminary Agreement of Purchase and Supply of Bulk Production of Covid-19 Vaccine conducted on August 20, 2020, in Hainan, China.

"Next, we [Bio Farma], will wait for the first bulk of 10 million doses Covid-19 in November 2020, and in December 2020, will arrive another bulk of 10 million doses," said Bio Farma Director Honesti Basyir in a written statement on Friday, August 21, 2020.

Later, from January 2021 until March 2021, Honesti said that a bulk of 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine will arrive each month, rounding the number to a total of 50 million doses in March 2021.

"Let us complete our major task to immediately produce vaccines and distribute it to the Indonesian people," Honesti said.

Honesti added that the RTF vaccine bulk received in November 2020 will not be immediately processed for production. The company will be conducting a series of tests and registration process with the Drug and Food Supervisory Agency before it can be produced.

After the processes have been finished, Honesti explained that Bio Farma will continue with the filling and packaging process and make finished products. Therefore, the product will achieve its intended Domestic Component Ratio and transfer of technology.

Bio Farma has prepared a production facility dedicated to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines with a total capacity of 100 million doses in August 2020. Further in December 2020, the company is expected to increase its production capacity to 150 million doses.

State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir stated that in the cooperation agreement with Sinovac, Bio Farma will not only process and distribute the vaccines, but also entitled to transfer of technology.

"During the visit we want to make sure that the transformation of our health industry, where Bio Farma's cooperation with Sinovac is a win-win cooperation, that there is an agreement with Sinovac in terms of transfer of technology, transfer of technology, this must be underlined," Erick said.

CAESAR AKBAR