REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDUNG - Indonesia is now the world`s fifth pentavalent vaccine producer, after the state pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma has successfully developed it to meet domestic and foreign needs. "We will be ready to launch the pentavalent vaccine at the end of 2012," PT Bio Farma spokesman Nurlaela said last week.

Pentavalent vaccine is a combination of five different vaccines, namely diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae of type B (HIB). Other pentavalent vaccine producing countries include the United States, Belgium, and France.

Nurlaela said the company would sell the vaccine abroad after securing a certificate from the World Health Organization (WHO). She added that with the help of the global body, the company would market the vaccine to other countries on a business-to-business basis.

The company would also sell the vaccine in the domestic market after it had passed through a process at the Drug and Food Control Board (BPOM), she said. "This vaccine will support Indonesia`s immunization program not only because its contain is more complete but also more effective," she said.

She said an estimated 4.8 million infants in Indonesia would receive this vaccine. Bio Farma, which is the only vaccine producer in Indonesia has set the sale target for 2012 at 1.4 trillion IDR, an increase of 10-15 percent compared to last year. Last year, the company booked a net profit of 303 billion IDR and the figure is expected to increase to 408 billion IDR this year.

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