Bio Farma: BPOM WLA Status Facilitates Export of Indonesian Pharmaceutical Products
CNBC Indonesia hosted a Health Forum with the theme “BPOM Achieves WLA Status, What Benefits for Business Practitioners?” to explore the impact of Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) achieving recognition from the global health authority and joining the WHO Listed Authority (WLA) register.
William Adi Teja, Deputy for Drug, Narcotics, Psychotropic, Precursor and Addictive Substance Oversight at BPOM, stated that BPOM achieved WLA status by successfully meeting nine criteria set by the WHO, including efficiency and integrity in evaluating pharmaceutical products and vaccines imported into Indonesia, standards now equivalent to developed countries.
BPOM will continue to maintain and preserve its WLA status, which is reviewed every five years. From the business sector perspective, Bio Farma’s Chief Executive, Shadiq Akasya, described BPOM’s achievement as global recognition of the quality equivalence between Indonesian and international pharmaceutical products. This development will also promote efficiency and facilitate the development and export of Indonesian pharmaceutical products.
For vaccine producers, BPOM’s success is seen by Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia’s Chief Executive, FX Sudirman, as supporting domestic vaccine development, particularly regarding the credibility of Indonesian products being equivalent to those of developed nations.
PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia’s Director of Corporate Relations and Strategic Affairs, Andreas Donny Prakasa, noted that BPOM’s enhanced status has significant implications for the biopharmaceutical industry, as it can boost the confidence of pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers whilst raising the competitiveness of Indonesian products.
The forum brought together key stakeholders including BPOM officials, Bio Farma leadership, and other major pharmaceutical industry representatives to discuss the implications of Indonesia’s regulatory achievement for the domestic and export pharmaceutical sector.