BPOM Outlines New Drug Sales Policy for Minimarkets

The Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) is preparing a new policy to improve the governance of limited free medicine distribution, which will involve minimarkets and the ‘Koperasi Desa Merah Putih’ village cooperatives. This initiative, outlined in BPOM Regulation Number 5 of 2026, is designed to strengthen the supervisory system for the management of medicinal ingredients, as well as the distribution and sales processes, ensuring they meet standards and are conducted under the supervision of pharmaceutical personnel. The policy will permit the distribution and sale of both over-the-counter and limited free medicines through these retail channels. This development comes as BPOM celebrates significant achievements in the first half of 2026, including attaining the WHO Listed Authority (WLA) status. BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar stated that this recognition confirms the agency has reached Maturity Level 4 in all aspects, the highest acknowledgement for a drug and vaccine regulator globally. Indonesia is the only developing country to be included in the top 10 WLA, a position that strengthens its standing in the global pharmaceutical and vaccine industry and is expected to attract investment. The WLA status has already boosted demand for Indonesian-made vaccines, with orders coming from 150 countries, including Pakistan’s procurement of 1.5 billion doses of vaccines for children and pregnant women, shifting its supply chain from India. Various Indonesian drug products have also entered the European Union market. Looking ahead, BPOM is also developing a new assessment policy for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) to further enhance the global standardisation of Indonesian medicines.