Indonesian Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono opened the National Forum for the Independence of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Yogyakarta on November 8, 2021.The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many lessons, we are forced to change our interaction patterns and activity patterns. COVID-19 has made health our priority. In addition, the pandemic has also made us realize how important health resilience is.
Located in the Eastparc Ballroom Yogyakarta, the National Forum for the Independence of the Pharmaceutical Industry was held on November 8-9, 2021 while still implementing strict health protocols. Present at this event were the Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia who represented the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia as well as opening the event, researchers, professional associations, business people, and academics involved in developing the independence of the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Industry.
In addition, an MoU on pharmaceutical preparation was signed between the Ministry of Health, Science Techno Park UGM, Faculty of Pharmacy University of North Sumatra, and PT Akar Rimba Nusantara.
Acting Director General of Farmalkes, whose report was represented by Director of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution Agusdini Banun, said that because it was still in a pandemic atmosphere, this meeting was held in a hybrid manner (online and offline). This event was also held:
- The virtual national forum discusses the independence and resilience of the pharmaceutical preparation industry, presenting expert speakers in their fields from related ministries/institutions, researchers, associations, and the pharmaceutical industry.
- A virtual exhibition of pharmaceutical preparations that have been able to be produced locally as well as the results of research innovations in the field of pharmaceutical preparations to accelerate downstreaming originating from:
- Pharmaceutical industry,
- natural ingredient extract industry,
- Traditional medicine industry and business, and
- Center for Post-Harvest Processing of Medicinal Plants (P4TO)
- Business matching that aims to bring together researchers and producers of pharmaceutical preparations, especially for phytopharmaceutical products.
In this forum, Melkiades Laka Lena, Vice Chairman of Commission IX (Health and Labor) of the House of Representatives, was also present. Melki explained that in order to strengthen Indonesia's Health Resilience, Commission IX of the House of Representatives urged the Government to prioritize strengthening programs and activities for Fiscal Year 2022 through the transformation of the Health System. One of them is to build an ecosystem and a realistic road map for the independence of drugs and medical devices through the development of a domestic industry with regulatory support so that it can be used in health services.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in his direction related to TKDN said that although the pharmaceutical industry in Indonesia is quite large, the pharmaceutical preparation industry still tends to be lacking, so we imported more than 1.5 billion dollars of inorganic chemicals in 2020. "We understand that the pharmaceutical industry is a difficult industry to enter, with the need for qualified human resources, the latest technology, and strict standards considering that it is related to human health, so the government has prepared various incentives for pharmaceutical companies to invest in Indonesia," said the Coordinating Minister.
For 24 drug raw materials that have been produced in Indonesia or are in the process of development, the TKDN threshold is also being sought to be increased. The government is also preparing a supertax deduction for RnD, given that the pharmaceutical industry's RnD tends to be less than its peers in developing countries. The highest RnD of the Indonesian pharmaceutical industry is only 1.1% of total sales, while in India the RnD of the pharmaceutical industry can reach 8% of total sales. The hope is that with these various incentives, investment and RnD for Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry and pharmaceutical preparations will increase. In addition, the government will also prepare the Batang Industrial Estate as a Pharmaceutical Industrial Estate so that companies can produce at a lower cost due to shared facilities in the area.
Coordinating Minister Marvest concluded his remarks by saying, "I hope this forum can realize important investments and cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry. I also encourage my colleagues not to hesitate to contact me if they encounter difficulties in investing," concluded Coordinating Minister Marvest.
Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Dante Saksono in his remarks said, based on previous experience, during the 1998 and 2008 economic crises, Indonesia succeeded in carrying out reforms. Therefore, the health crisis in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic is our best momentum to carry out health reform. "Along with the increasing universal coverage of BPJS Kesehatan and rapidly developing digital technology, the Indonesian health system is ready to transform to overcome existing health problems," said the Deputy Minister of Health.
The national forum on the independence and resilience of the pharmaceutical preparation industry aims to:
- Encourage the independence of pharmaceutical preparations (raw materials for chemical drugs, biotechnology, vaccines and naturals) with effective TKDN indicators.
- Discussed strategies to accelerate the use of pharmaceutical preparations (chemical raw materials, biotechnology, vaccines and natural drugs) in the country.
- Discuss strategic policy issues and progress in the policy of independence of pharmaceutical preparations (raw materials for chemical drugs, biotechnology, vaccines and naturals).
- Increasing synergy in the development of pharmaceutical preparations (raw materials for chemical drugs, biotechnology, vaccines and natural products) from upstream to downstream domestic production.
This forum is expected to produce a strategic plan agreed by stakeholders consisting of academics, business people, and the government for the acceleration of the development of locally produced medicinal raw materials consisting of 4 pillars, namely chemical APIs, biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and natural (phytopharmaca) as well as increasing their use in the country and exports.
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