MSD and Bio Farma sign a framework agreement for technology transfer partnership to locally manufacture human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Indonesia

December 13, 2022 3:00 pm +00:00

JAKARTA, INDONESIA, December 13^th, 2022 – MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA)today signed a framework agreement in relation to the technology transfer partnership with Bio Farma state-owned pharmaceutical holding company – with subsidiaries Kimia Farma and Indo Farma, Indonesias’s leading vaccine manufacturer, for the local manufacturing of MSD’s 4-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Jakarta by George Stylianou, Managing Director, MSD Indonesia and Honesti Basyir, CEO, Bio Farma Holding, in the presence of Minister of Health Republic Indonesia, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Vice Minister I of State Owened Enterprises Republic of Indonesia, Pahala Nugraha Mansury, Representative of US Embassy in Indonesia, and President of MSD Asia Pacific, David Peacock.

Building on a partnership between MSD and Bio Farma established in 2016, today’s announcement of a framework agreement for the local production of HPV vaccine has the potential to increase domestic vaccine manufacturing capabilities and capacity in Indonesia. Under the framework, the parties will work toward an agreement to support local manufacturing of HPV vaccine in Indonesia.

Currently HPV vaccine is used in the HPV immunization introduction programs in a number of districts and cities across Indonesia, and the Indonesia HPV vaccination program will continue to expand to become a nationwide immunization program in 2023.

Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said “The partnership between MSD and Bio Farma is a real example of collaboration between two parties to support the Health Transformation in Indonesia, especially in transforming the health resilience system and one of the main pillars primary service transformations of promotive and preventive. I believe that the potential transfer of technology, expertise, knowledge and experience from MSD as a leading global manufacturer of HPV vaccines will be beneficial for Bio Farma and for the sustainability of Indonesia’s Health Sector, especially in vaccine development.”

Aligned with Minister Budi’s comments, the Indonesian Vice Minister I of State-Owned Enterprise Pahala Nugraha Mansury said that “The aspiration is for Indonesia to become a global hub for vaccine production, and this partnership between MSD and Bio Farma is an important milestone towards this aspiration.”

Director of Bio Farma Honesti Basyir added, “This partnership with MSD is also an important step taken by Bio Farma to strengthen Indonesia’s health infrastructure. Through this collaboration Bio Farma hopes to enable the best quality HPV vaccine to be produced in Indonesia.”

“MSD has continued to expand production and supply of our HPV vaccines in order to address the unprecedented level of demand we are seeing globally. We continue to work towards our goal of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer here in Indonesia and worldwide through improved access to HPV vaccination and the implementation of new and expanded immunization programs. At MSD we are proud to support the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem,” said David Peacock, president of Asia Pacific, MSD.

The agreement signing today coincided with Nusantara Day and brings together best-in-class vaccine manufacturing capabilities from Bio Farma and MSD for Indonesia.

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JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 13 Desember 2022 – MSD (nama dagang Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA) hari ini menandatangani perjanjian kerangka kerja terkait kerjasama transfer teknologi dengan Bio Farma Induk Holding BUMN Farmasi – dengan anak perusahaan Kimia Farma dan Indo Farma, produsen vaksin terkemuka di Indonesia, untuk memproduksi secara lokal vaksin 4-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) MSD. Perjanjian tersebut ditandatangani oleh George Stylianou, Managing Director MSD Indonesia dan Honesti Basyir, CEO Bio Farma Induk Holding dan disaksikan oleh Menteri Kesehatan Republik Indonesia, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Wakil Menteri I BUMN Pahala Nugraha Mansury, Perwakilan Kedutaan Besar US di Indonesia, and Presiden MSD Asia Pasifik, David Peacock.

Berlandaskan kemitraan MSD dan Bio Farma yang telah terjalin sejak tahun 2016, pengumuman perjanjian kerangka kerja untuk produksi lokal vaksin HPV hari ini berpotensi akan meningkatkan kemampuan dan kapasitas produksi vaksin dalam negeri di Indonesia. Berdasarkan kerangka tersebut, para pihak akan terus bekerja sama menuju kesepakatan untuk mendukung pembuatan vaksin HPV lokal di Indonesia.

Saat ini Vaksin HPV telah digunakan untuk program introduksi imunisasi HPV diberbagai kabupaten dan kota serta program imunisasi HPV akan terus diperluas hingga menjadi program skala nasional pada tahun 2023.

Menteri Kesehatan Republik Indonesia Budi Gunadi Sadikin mengatakan kerjasama antara Bio Farma dan MSD, merupakan bentuk nyata kolaborasi antar pihak untuk mendukung Transformasi Kesehatan di Indonesia, terutama dalam upaya penguatan pilar layanan primer promotif dan preventif yang merupakan salah satu prioritas Kementerian Kesahatan. Saya percaya bahwa dengan adanya potensi transfer teknologi baik keahlian, pengetahuan, dan pengalaman dari MSD sebagai produsen global terkemuka untuk vaksin HPV akan bermanfaat bagi Bio Farma dan untuk kemandirian Sektor Kesehatan di Indonesia terutama dalam pengembangan vaksin.

Selaras dengan komentar dari Menteri Kesehatan, Wakil Menteri I Badan Usaha Milik Negara Republik Indonesia Pahala Nugraha Mansury mengatakan aspirasinya adalah agar Indonesia menjadi hub produksi vaksin dunia, dan kerjasama antara MSD dan Bio Farma ini merupakan langkah penting menuju aspirasi tersebut.

Direktur Bio Farma Honesti Basyir menambahkan, “Kerjasama dengan MSD ini merupakan langkah penting yang dilakukan Bio Farma untuk memperkuat infrastruktur kesehatan Indonesia. Melalui kolaborasi ini Bio Farma akan menghadirkan vaksin HPV kualitas terbaik untuk diproduksi di Indonesia.”

“MSD akan terus memperluas produksi dan ketersediaan vaksin HPV dkami untuk memenuhi tingkat permintaan yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya yang kami lihat secara global. Kami terus berupaya untuk mencapai tujuan kami mengurangi kejadian kanker serviks di seluruh dunia melalui peningkatan akses terhadap vaksinasi HPV dan penerapan program imunisasi yang baru dan diperluas. Di MSD kami bangga mendukung strategi global dari Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia (WHO) untuk mempercepat eliminasi kanker serviks sebagai masalah kesehatan masyarakat” kata David Peacock, Presiden Asia Pasifik, MSD.

Penandatanganan perjanjian hari ini bertepatan dengan Hari Nusantara, dan membawa kapabilitas manufaktur vaksin terbaik dari Bio Farma dan MSD untuk Indonesia.

About MSD

At MSD, known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA in the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.msd.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Bio Farma

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 Java, 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.