Antara News·Indonesia·Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 12:43 PM

Indonesia actively develops vaccines to accelerate TB elimination

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A. Firmansyah, Tegar Nurfitra

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is actively involved in developing vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) as the country continues its efforts to eliminate the disease amid persistently high risks.

"A TB vaccine is yet to be found anywhere in the world. Formulation is underway and Indonesia has been actively involved in developing TB vaccines," Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Lucia at the Ministry of Health, Rizka Andalucia, said.

During the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Indonesian Association for the Study of Medicinals in Jakarta on Saturday, she emphasised that developing vaccines remains essential to eradicating TB, although medicines and diagnostic tools are already available.

Lucia stressed vaccine development is particularly crucial for Indonesia, given the country’s second-highest TB caseload globally after India, up from third place.

Bearing that in mind, she said President Prabowo Subianto had declared TB elimination as one of his quick-win initiatives in the health sector, alongside the Free Health Screening programme and hospital upgrades.

She expressed optimism about Indonesia’s role in the global TB agenda, highlighting the country’s experience in conducting clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Lucia also explained involvement in clinical trials as one way for a country to secure vaccines once they are ready for mass production and distribution.

"If we did not carry out vaccine clinical trials back during the pandemic, we would not have immediate access to vaccines," she said.

Regarding the fight against TB, she noted Indonesia has the potential to optimise three vaccine candidates, including M72, which is being developed with GSK and the Gates Foundation. The vaccine candidate has entered Phase 3 clinical trials.

Lucia added state-run pharmaceutical firm Bio Farma is currently developing a vaccine candidate in collaboration with Lipotek, while another candidate is being developed by Etana and CanSino. Both candidates are in Phase 1 clinical trials.

"Hopefully, all the vaccine candidates meet ethical and safety requirements," she concluded.

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