Eijkman Institute’s Merger, the End of Merah Putih Vaccine?
The development of the Merah Putih vaccine by the Eijkman Molecular Biology Research Center (PRBM) stalled as the institute merged into the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Amin Soebandrio, who led this institution when it was still Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology (LBM), said that the emergency use of authorization (EUA) for a recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine could not be obtained by mid-2022, a setback from the previously set target.
Amin said the delay was due to the integration process of Eijkman into BRIN. When the transition process began, the budget that the Ministry of Research and Technology previously approved had not been disbursed. "If only LBM Eijkman were given the opportunity, facilities, and budget like when we were assigned in 2020, the vaccine should have been completed sooner," Amin said before the House of Representatives (DPR) on January 17, 2022.