The Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) has negotiated an agreement to increase BioFarma vaccine exports to the Middle East, especially to Saudi Arabia. Indonesia is the only Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) country that produces vaccines certified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rahman Rustan, Corporate Secretary, BioFarma, a state-owned pharmaceutical company, said that three vaccines are currently exported to Saudi Arabia: the tetanus, diphtheria (DT) vaccine, a vaccine for polio, and Pentabio, a vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (DTP-HB-Hib).
With the help of ITPC, BioFarma can grow and diversify product exports, targeting Islamic countries in general. BioFarma has supplied vaccines to more than 130 countries, including 49 Islamic countries. The company is committed to increasing vaccine expertise for Islamic countries through knowledge-sharing and technology transfer. Indonesia's vaccine exports are worth more than US$114 million annually, while Saudi Arabia vaccine imports are valued more than US$270 million a year.