Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) visited PT Phapros Tbk, a subsidiary of PT Kimia Farma Tbk, in Semarang, Central Java, to evaluate efforts to substitute imported drug raw materials with domestic production in order to strengthen the independence of the national pharmaceutical industry.
Chairperson of Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Anggia Erma Rini, stated that Indonesia's dependence on imported raw materials for pharmaceuticals remains relatively high, thus presenting a challenge in realizing the independence of the national pharmaceutical industry.
According to Anggia, the use of nationally produced drugs in various government programs needs to be increased.
He said optimizing local raw materials, including herbal-based ones and utilizing Indonesia's rich biodiversity, requires strong research support to become an alternative to imported raw materials.
State-owned pharmaceutical companies, he continued, need to increase their competitiveness through product innovation, new product development, and quality improvement to be able to compete with imported products.
"The government also needs to have accurate data on how much domestic medicine has been used in national health programs," he added.
Anggia said this step is crucial considering that around 95 percent of the nation's raw material needs for pharmaceuticals are still met through imports, making strengthening the upstream pharmaceutical industry a strategic priority for the government.
