TEXAS-DEVELOPED PATENT-FREE COVID-19 VACCINE TECHNOLOGY RECEIVES EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION IN INDONESIA

HOUSTON, Sept. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PT Bio Farma, the holding company for state-owned pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia, is ready to produce 20 million doses of the IndoVac COVID-19 vaccine this year and 100 million doses by 2024.

IndoVac, a recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, was created and engineered in Houston, Texas by the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine, led by Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi. It received emergency use authorization in Indonesia, as a primary vaccine in adults. IndoVac', produced by manufacturing company PT Bio Farma, and licensed from BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicine's integrated commercialization team, was approved following a comprehensive product and clinical development strategy.

"Access to vaccines in the developing world is critical to the eradication of this virus," said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

IndoVac's primary series vaccines include nearly 80% of locally sourced content. Indonesia is seeking Halal Certification for the vaccine since no animal cells or products were used in the production of the vaccine. IndoVac successfully completed an audit from the Indonesian Ulema Council Food and Drug Analysis Agency, and the Halal Certification Agency of the Religious Affairs Ministry is expected to grant their approval soon.

"We are proud of this collaboration. We hope this positive collaboration can continue to create more innovations in the future. We also expect that IndoVac can also be distributed overseas, apart from being used in Indonesia, so we can help other countries in need and contribute to global vaccine equality," Honesti Basyir, the President Director of Bio Farma said.

He was referring to the Bio Farma's intention to capture international markets with its IndoVac Covid-19 recombinant protein vaccines. The pharmaceutical company is currently manufacturing Covid-19 primary series vaccine, while booster vaccine is in the clinical trial stage and soon followed by vaccine for children.

"The need for a safe, effective, low-cost vaccine for middle- to low-income countries is central to the world's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor. "Without widespread inoculation of populations in the developing world, which must include safe, effective booster doses, additional variants will develop, hindering the progress achieved by currently available vaccines in the United States and other Western countries."

PT Bio Farma (Persero) is the largest pharmaceutical holding company in Indonesia, which offer end-to-end services in the health industry, starting from the pharmaceutical-related research and development, manufacturing, distribution to the operation of pharmacy, health clinics to clinical laboratories. Bio Farma's headquarter is sitting on a 91,058 square meter of land in Bandung, West Jawa, which comprises office buildings and factory facilities. The company also operates a representative office in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city. Bio Farma is capable of producing more than 3.2 billion doses of vaccines per year. The company has exported its vaccine products to more than 150 countries in the world. Bio Farma became a holding company after a merger of three listed state-owned pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia. Three companies PT Bio Farma (Persero), PT Kimia Farma Tbk (KAEF), PT Indofarma Tbk (INAF), merged into Bio Farma today. For further information, please visit www.biofarma.co.id

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's HealthPlan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Global Health program leads efforts that advance health care equity through innovative collaboration in care, education and research for underserved populations globally. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital