Jakarta, IO – AstraZeneca, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products (BioKangtai) and Combiphar Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which they agreed to initiate cooperation on vaccine development in Indonesia.
The initiative follows the G20 Bali Leader’s Declaration and the China-Indonesia Joint Statement in November of last year, which called for stronger bilateral collaboration on vaccine research, development, and manufacturing to support Indonesia, in its effort to build a regional vaccine hub.
The objective of the initiative is to identify vaccine products that can complement Indonesia’s national immunization plans and can be developed, manufactured and rolled out in Indonesia. The future scope of cooperation includes immunization against COVID-19 as well as other infectious diseases.
The MOU signing, which took place on March 29 during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in Hainan, China, was witnessed by Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Indonesia, Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha, AstraZeneca Chair Mr. Leif Johansson, AstraZeneca China President Mr. Leon Wang, BioKangtai CEO Mr. Xiang Miao, AstraZeneca Indonesia President Director, Mr. Sewhan Chon, and Deputy President Director of Combiphar Group Mr. Lim Soeyantho.
Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Indonesia, said: “In the G20 Bali Leader’s Meeting last November, Indonesia, China, and other G20 countries have committed themselves to strengthening the global health architecture, in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, this MoU, between AstraZeneca, BioKangtai and Combiphar, is a testament to our shared commitment to building a more resilient world. Let us continue and support this journey together in a collaborative endeavor.”