The cost of health services in Indonesia continues to increase from year to year, the Social Security Administration (BPJS) Health noted that the cost of catastrophic treatment ranks at the top of the National Health Insurance (JKN) claims. This increase is caused by various factors including the increasing elderly population, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and the rapid development of health technology innovation.

In addition, with the development of public health literacy, and the ease with which people can obtain health services, health financing in Indonesia is predicted to continue to increase.

Both of these further emphasize the need for health technology assessments that support quality control and cost control to ensure the health technologies used are safe, effective and cost-effective.

The Health Technology Assessment (PTK) process is carried out based on the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 51 of 2017 concerning Guidelines for Health Technology Assessment (PTK) or Health Technology Assessment in the Health Insurance Program covering clinical, epidemiological, statistical, economic, social, cultural, ethical, political, and religious aspects.

One important component of PTK is the study of economic evaluation, including for drugs, namely pharmacoeconomic studies. With the existence of PTK in Indonesia, pharmacoeconomics has the opportunity to develop better and more widely. The demand for Universal Health Coverage (UHC)/National Health Insurance (JKN) which requires quality control of cost control in accordance with health insurance regulations, also provides an opportunity for this study to develop.

In connection with this, the Directorate General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia through the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution held a National Seminar on "The Development of Pharmacoeconomic Studies in Indonesia and its Role in Supporting the National Health Insurance (JKN)" on June 5, 2023 at the Manhattan Hotel Jakarta.

This activity was attended by BPJS, BPOM, the Health Technology Assessment Committee of the Directorate General of Health Services, the Center for Health Financing and Determination Policy (PDK), the Center for Health Resilience System Policy and Health Resources, the Health Office, Academics, Hospitals and Health Professional Organizations.

Plt. Director of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution, Roy Himawan in his report said that the purpose of this activity was to increase the utilization of the results of pharmacoeconomic studies in supporting health service policies and fulfill the needs of domestic pharmacoeconomic study data in accordance with population and financing in Indonesia.

The development of pharmacoeconomic studies in Indonesia is very rapid, until 2020 there were approximately 334 academic articles on pharmacoeconomics published. The existence of these academic journals helps the state in determining policies in making decisions related to drugs, and also for various other health interventions that have a value of effectiveness proportional to cost. 

In her remarks, the Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, L. Rizka Andalusia said that the selection of cost effective drugs or health interventions allows the use of health service funds to be more rational, so that the quality and coverage of health services can be further improved.

"I consider it important to present various pharmacoeconomic studies, especially with data settings in Indonesia, which have been actively carried out by selected academics and hospital practitioners so that they can be used as reference information and references that can be accessed and used as a basis for decision making, as well as best practices for other researchers / practitioners," said Rizka.

In addition, the database of pharmacoeconomic study results or PTK in Indonesia is also an important thing that will be prepared, in supporting the utilization of pharmacoeconomic studies in the JKN era.

Director of Pharmaceutical Management and Services, Agusdini Banun Saptaningsih as one of the speakers said that one of the criteria for assessing new drug proposals (drugs with new active substances or new indications whose patents are still valid and have not been listed in fornas) must include articles on the results of pharmacoeconomic analysis or Health Technology Assessment (HTA). The online proposal for new drugs will be discussed by the National Commission for Drug and Phytopharmacology Selection Team with the PTK Committee.

"With the implementation of Fornas as quality control and cost control, health care services will be of higher quality with controlled drug spending (cost effective), health services to the community will be more effective and efficient, and facilitate the planning and provision of drugs in all health care facilities according to levels and needs," Dini continued.

One of the national seminar participants, Cherry Rahayu, S.Si., Apt as the Head of the Pharmacy Installation of Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital said that the National Seminar related to Pharmacoeconomics was very useful to provide input from the results of studies conducted by the Pharmacoeconomics Working Team, both from the HTA Committee and hospital practitioners in providing their research results.

"Hopefully in the future Pharmacoeconomics must begin to be echoed in all hospitals / users. Pharmacoeconomic research in hospitals must share its research with other hospitals, so that research can be useful everywhere. The working team must be able to stimulate hospitals to have good data so that this pharmacoeconomic research has objective value." Cherry concluded.