Indonesia seeks domestic production of pharmaceutical raw materials
BPOM says imports account for more than 90 per cent of drug raw material needs, while technology and regulatory obstacles hinder local production.
Indonesia aims to replace its heavy reliance on imported drug ingredients with domestic supplies, according to Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) head Taruna Ikrar. He said the agency was bringing researchers, businesses and government together to address import dependence exceeding 90 per cent.
At the 2026 Indonesia Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) in Surabaya, East Java, Ikrar warned that dependence on foreign suppliers was a concern for the country's health resilience. He stressed the pharmaceutical sector's importance to public welfare.
Ikrar pointed to Indonesia's botanical resources, including more than 31,000 plant species. But he said limitations in extraction technology, shortcomings in regulation and difficulties commercialising research were preventing those resources from being used on an industrial scale.
BPOM's approach links universities with companies and government institutions. According to Ikrar, joint research has yielded 898 natural-based medicine products authorised for sale by the agency. He hoped closer research cooperation would spur discoveries by young scientists and help establish an independent pharmaceutical industry.
