Tangerang. The Indonesian government is collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to increase the production of essential drug materials domestically, aiming to reduce reliance on imports and ensure stable local supplies, an official said recently.

Currently, Indonesia can produce at least 37 key materials for drugs used to treat conditions such as fever, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, diabetes, and heart attacks.

Among the locally produced key drug components are paracetamol, omeprazole, atorvastatin, clopidogrel, amlodipine, candesartan, bisoprolol, azithromycin, sitagliptin, imatinib, dapagliflozin, entecavir, gefitinib, nilotinib, and rivaroxaban.

“We hope to add eight more locally produced drug materials this year,” Rizka Andalusia, the acting head of the Drug and Food Supervisory Agency (BPOM), said during a forum group discussion with the business newspaper Investor Daily on Wednesday.

The Indonesian pharmaceutical industry is aiming to produce additional drugs, including telmisartan for high blood pressure, moxifloxacin for bacterial infections, febuxostat for gout, sacubitril for heart failure, fondaparinux for venous thromboembolism, risperidone for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, valsartan for high blood pressure, and glimepiride for type 2 diabetes.

According to Rizka, the Health Ministry has prioritized the domestic production of 10 drug materials.

“If these 10 drug materials can be produced and fully utilized in Indonesia, we can reduce medicine imports by 19.42 percent, equivalent to approximately Rp 1.4 trillion ($87.9 million),” Rizka said during the discussion held at the B-Universe Media Holdings office in Pantai Indah Kapuk 2, Tangerang, Banten province.

Rizka added that the Health Ministry has proposed to the Industry Ministry to regulate the importation of 22 drug materials that are already available locally.