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Indonesia Steps Up in COVID-19 Vaccine Race

Fathiyah Wardah

   JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Indonesia is set to move into the front ranks of
   countries pursuing a vaccine against the coronavirus next week with the
   launch of phase 3 clinical trials in Bandung, West Java.

   About 2,400 samples of an experimental vaccine have been shipped from
   China to Bandung for the trial, which will begin August3. The vaccine,
   developed by the Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, is one
   of only five out of 166 candidates to have reached such an advanced
   stage of testing.

   An American entrant in the race for a vaccine, developed by Moderna,
   entered phase 3 trials in the United States on Monday.

   Phase 3 testing involves giving a vaccine to thousands of volunteers to
   see how many become infected, compared with others who are given a
   placebo.

   Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi announced the Bandung plan in
   a virtual press conference last week, saying the project is directed in
   Indonesia by the state-owned pharmaceutical holding company Bio Farma.
   The firm's CEO, Honesti Basyir, said the clinical trial is scheduled to
   run for six monthsand will be completed by January 2021.

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