Indonesia's BPOM Gains WHO Listed Authority Recognition After 21-Year Journey

Jakarta – Indonesia’s Food and Drug Regulatory Authority (BPOM) has received recognition from the global health community, obtaining WHO Listed Authority (WLA) status for medical product regulation, particularly vaccines.

BPOM head Taruna Ikrar stated that with this recognition, Indonesia has reached the highest position. WLA, according to him, represents the highest achievement for regulators responsible for drug and food supervision.

“This recognition is not for individuals, but for Indonesia. Moreover, this is not work accomplished in one or two days. BPOM has been striving since 2005, which means 21 years ago,” Taruna said during a Health Forum with the theme “BPOM Achieves WLA Status, What Benefits for Business Actors?” on Friday (27 February 2026).

Going forward, this achievement is expected to open significant opportunities, ranging from pharmaceutical product exports to strengthening Indonesia’s health and national diplomacy.

“Previously, we could only market products domestically to 286 million people. Now it becomes much broader. Now it becomes more than 8 billion people globally. That is our market. This is where the economic impact lies. It means we can open much wider markets, which will certainly have a tremendous impact. Then from other aspects, there are certainly more specific aspects,” he emphasised.

According to him, with this recognition, Indonesia through BPOM can become a standard-setter, a point of reliance, and most importantly, strengthen its position in global health diplomacy.

Additionally, the availability of medicines, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines as part of national resilience is crucial. Therefore, this must continue to be encouraged to maintain public health.

“I believe that by obtaining this WHO Listed Authority (WLA) status, there are clearly many benefits. One of them is the ability to produce more than before and even sell more widely,” he stated.