BPOM to Approve AstraZeneca's Covid-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use This Week
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16 February 2021 19:36 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) stated it would immediately grant an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Covid-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca following the approval of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The agency head Penny K. Lukito said that her side was still waiting for data from WHO that would be used as material for evaluating the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
“We promise that the EUA will be issued 5-10 days after we receive dossier data from WHO so that the vaccine supply from the multilateral cooperation can immediately enter Indonesia,” said Penny in a press conference on Tuesday, February 16.
As previously reported, WHO listed AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use which could accelerate vaccinations in developing countries.
The vaccines validated by WHO have two versions produced by South Korea’s SK Bioscience Co. and Serum Institute of India.
The emergency use authorization is necessary to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines through the procurement under COVAX that is given free for recipient countries including Indonesia.
WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization recommended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged over 18.
“We will monitor the distribution later. [But first,] we (BPOM) need data related to the dossier, aspects of quality and efficacy,” Penny explained.
Read: Covid-19 Vaccination; Jakarta Deputy Governor Ask Residents to be Patient
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