BPOM Pushes for Strengthening Pharmaceutical Industry to Reduce Imports of Raw Materials

Pasuruan, East Java (ANTARA) - The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) supports the strengthening of the local pharmaceutical industry to reduce dependence on imported drug raw materials, which reaches 80 per cent, and to increase the domestic pharmaceutical sector’s production capacity.

“Finished drug products in the country are indeed dominated by local ones, but raw materials still rely on imports up to 70-80 per cent; this is what we must promote self-reliance in,” said BPOM’s Deputy for Drug, Narcotics, Psychotropics, Precursors, and Addictive Substances Supervision (Deputy 1) William Adi Teja at the inauguration of Satoria Pharma’s Line 4 Factory in Pasuruan, East Java, on Tuesday.

According to him, dependence on imported raw materials remains a challenge for the national pharmaceutical industry, even though 80 per cent of domestic drug needs are met by local producers.

This, he said, is one of the factors slowing the strengthening of the national chemical and pharmaceutical sector.

He explained that one potential to be developed is the domestic pharmaceutical salt industry, which is an important raw material for infusion fluid production.

He mentioned that Indonesia currently has four pharmaceutical salt industry companies, three of which are located in East Java, capable of producing up to 4,000 tonnes per year.

In addition, he stated that expanding infusion fluid production capacity by the pharmaceutical industry, such as done by PT Satoria Aneka Industri through its Satoria Pharma business unit, which is a domestic infusion producer, is expected to strengthen national pharmaceutical resilience while ensuring the availability of safe, quality, and effective products.

“With increased production capacity and the addition of new lines, we hope the national pharmaceutical industry becomes increasingly independent,” he said.

Meanwhile, CEO and Founder of PT Satoria Aneka Industri Alim Satria stated that with the inauguration of the Satoria Pharma Line 4 factory, the company is targeted to produce up to 230 million infusion bottles per year.

The company is also preparing to build Line 5 factory, which will increase infusion production capacity to 400 million bottles per year, planned to be realised in 2028.

He emphasised that the company is ready to continue ensuring product availability and improving quality to support the creation of import substitution industry independence, especially in the domestic pharmaceutical sector.