JACARTA (Reuters) – AstraZeneca said on Sunday that its COVID-19 vaccine does not contain ingredients derived from pork, contrary to a claim by Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, that the drug violates Islamic law.
Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council, the Indonesian Ulema Council, said on its website on Friday that the vaccine is “haram” because the manufacturing process uses “pig pancreas trypsin”.
Even so, the board approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in a pandemic emergency.
But AstraZeneca Indonesia spokesman Rizman Abudaeri said in a statement: “At all stages of the production process, this virus vector vaccine does not use or come in contact with products derived from pork or other meat products. animal origin.
The country’s board and food and medicine agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Indonesian authorities on Friday approved the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reviewing reports that it had caused blood clots among some recipients in Europe.
Indonesia is struggling with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia – with 1,455,788 cases and 39,447 deaths on Saturday.
Reporting by Nilufar Rizki; Written by Fathin Ungku; William Mallard edition