By Honorary Reporter Fitri Amalia from Indonesia

Photo= Korea.net DB

Korea and Indonesia have expanded the scope of bilateral cooperation to medicine.

On a casual talk show on June 24, Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Kim Chang-beom said, "A Korean pharmaceutical company (Genexine) is collaborating with Kalbe Farma (Indonesia) in developing and conducting medical trials for a vaccine for COVID-19."

The vaccine under development is called GX-19. In a June 12 online chat with APIK, an association of Indonesian researchers in Korea, Kalbe Farma Director Sie Djohan said, "This DNA vaccine has several advantages including easy and rapid development, simple and cost-effective manufacturing, high stability and easy handling, no risk of infection, the ability to induce protective humoral and cellular immunity, and easy adaptability to new targets and mutations."

The method used by this vaccine was also used earlier to develop vaccines for the H5N2, avian influenza, H1N1 and influenza type-A viruses.

GX-19 in May this year was tested on mice and monkeys, and the first trials will be conducted at Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul on 40 people after approval was obtained on June 11 from the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The second trials are slated for September in Indonesia and Thailand.

If all goes well, the vaccine will go on the market in mid-2021 as a preventive -- not a therapeutic -- vaccine to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This collaboration comprises leading universities in Korea and Indonesia's Ministry of Health, the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM), and the Indonesia Institute of Science.

In an online discussion, Indonesian Ambassador to Seoul Umar Hadi said, "Korea is known for good research facilities and cooperation among research centers is great. Indonesia can adopt this (model) to develop its own research centers."

Cooperation among research bodies in Korea helped the country quickly stem the pandemic. "Because of good cooperation, Korea in three months was able to produce animal studies (related to COVID-19)," he added.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.