TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said his side had started testing a number of new medicines to treat COVID-19 in partnership with the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and various hospitals to conduct reviews and clinical trials.
“We have approached the manufacturers of the medicines, and some have even started clinical trials,” said Budi at an online press conference, Monday, October 4.
According to him, the trial involved various types of medicines, including monoclonal antibodies made by Regeneron and the South Korean pharmaceutical company Celltrion and the antiviral drugs that recently drew public spotlight named Molnupiravir.
“Hopefully we will know which drugs are suitable for the condition of our society by the end of this year,” the Health Minister added.
At the end of July 2021, he confirmed that a number of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs such as Azithromycin, Oseltamivir, and Favipiravir would enter the Indonesian market. Domestic pharmaceutical companies had also been asked to boost the production of these medicines.
Other medicines that could not be produced domestically, such as Remdesivir, Actemra, and Gammara, would be imported.
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EGI ADYATAMA | DEWI NURITA
