BPOM Discovers Illegal Mixed Medicines in Shops Across Denpasar and Badung
The circulation of illegal mixed medicines continues to be found in local shops. The Denpasar Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has warned that these medicines pose a danger to health because their ingredients and dosages are unclear.
The Head of BPOM Denpasar, I Gustint Ngurah Bagus Kusuma Dewa, explained that ‘mixed medicines’ (obat setelan) in practice are mixtures of several different drugs packaged together without clear information regarding their contents or usage.
“The safety, efficacy, and quality of these products cannot be guaranteed because they generally do not include essential information such as composition, indications, usage instructions, or expiry dates,” he stated during a Focus Group Discussion titled ‘Safe Medicine, Healthy Society’ at the BPOM Denpasar office on Tuesday (22/09/2026).
Bagus explained that the mixed medicines found during inspections may contain various potent drugs, such as corticosteroids, antibiotics, analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antihistamines, and other prescription-only medicines.
Crime data regarding drugs and food for the 2022-2025 period recorded at least 205 cases related to mixed medicines spread across various regions in Indonesia. In Bali, findings of mixed medicines were recorded at two locations in Denpasar and one location in Badung.
Based on an analysis of questionnaires regarding the phenomenon of mixed medicines conducted by the BPOM technical unit, the circulation of these drugs is dominated by findings in offline outlets rather than online.
“The profile of distribution outlets for mixed medicines is dominated by unofficial facilities such as drugstores, small shops, kiosks, herbal medicine shops, and traditional markets,” he noted.
According to Bagus, the users of mixed medicines are predominantly from lower-middle-income groups with relatively low health literacy, particularly informal workers such as labourers, farmers, fishermen, traders, and drivers.
Mixed medicines, Bagus added, are highly sought after because they are perceived to be cheap, effective, and easy to obtain without the need for consultation or waiting in queues at healthcare facilities. The majority of users belong to the adult to elderly age group, specifically those over 40 years old.
“The high usage of mixed medicines is influenced by the perception that they are more potent and provide faster healing, their low price, ease of access without doctor consultation, and limited access to formal healthcare services,” he added.
This phenomenon demonstrates a link between public health issues, socio-economic and behavioural factors, and a pharmaceutical system governance that is not yet fully integrated.
Therefore, addressing the issue of mixed medicines requires a data-driven, multidisciplinary approach involving the government, the health sector, business actors, academics, the community, and other stakeholders.
“This challenge is a serious concern in the health sector, and we at BPOM require strategic support and cooperation from various sectors and related stakeholders,” he said.
BPOM also urges the public to apply the ‘Cek KLIK’ principle before purchasing or consuming food and drug products, which stands for checking the packaging, label, distribution permit, and expiry date.
“Check the packaging, check the label, check the distribution permit, and check the expiry date,” Bagut urged.