TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan-based Adimmune Corporation (ADIM) announced Monday (Sept. 13) it will conduct the second phase of human trials for its COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia.

The project has been approved by Indonesian food and drug regulator BPOM and will be carried out by scientists from Gadjah Mada University in Sleman Regency, Java, the company said in a press release.

The trial will involve 240 participants and determine the dose number and efficacy of the vaccine against the coronavirus, the company added. With the Delta variant raging in the Southeast Asian country, the experiments are expected to provide a clearer picture of the jab’s capability to protect people from the highly transmissible strain.

Results will be available next year, laying the foundation for phase III clinical trials. Animal tests indicated promising results against variants after three doses, the vaccine manufacturer said without elaborating on the types of variant.

Given that its COVID-19 vaccine has been Halal-certified, running trials in the nation with the largest Muslim population will give it an advantage in tapping into the broader Muslim market, ADIM believes.

If all goes well, it will be Taiwan’s third homegrown coronavirus jab. The country is already rolling out shots developed by Medigen, while United Biomedical Inc.'s (UBI) application for emergency use authorization (EUA) for its vaccine UB-612, which was touted as potent against Delta, was rejected.