Jakarta. Calls are mounting for the government to make drugs cheaper.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin recently revealed that the price of pharmaceutical drugs in Indonesia were five times higher than other countries. The ministry has vowed to make drugs more affordable. While the general public welcomes the idea, some people believe that the government should have done it sooner as the problem of costly non-generic drugs had been going on for years. Low-income households have also been struggling to get their medicines.

“I think the government should have given more attention [on this issue]. Health is pivotal to a country’s development, just like education. And low-income families still struggle to access [health and medicines]. This should have been a priority for the government,” Adriana, who was shopping for medicines at the Pramuka traditional market in Jakarta, said on Wednesday.

Adriana criticized Indonesia’s reliance on imported raw materials which led to the soaring drug prices. Adriana added: “It is best we ramp up the local production to reduce import costs and make drugs more affordable.”

Fellow shopper Laode Erwin is hoping that the government can improve the drug industry management to keep prices under control. “So the drug prices can be as competitive as possible, particularly for the lower to middle class. We need to reorganize things … because our neighbors Malaysia and Singapore can have much cheaper drugs,” Laode said.

The country has three types of drugs: licensed, branded non-generics, and unbranded non-generics. The licensed drugs are the most expensive out of the three as they are still protected by a license. In other words, only the license-holding company can produce and sell the drugs. Licensed drugs are also more expensive because they have to cover the research and development (R&D) costs, not to mention the imported pharmaceutical raw materials.

Non-generic drugs in Pasar Pramuka as well as nationwide are typically much more expensive than in other countries. Non-generics such as Clopidogrel (a stroke medication) and Crestor (a cholesterol medication) are incredibly expensive, according to Yoyon, who heads the Pasar Pramuka pharmaceutical traders group.

“These medicines are mostly licensed products, like Clopidogrel and Crestol. A strip can cost Rp 230,000 [$14] while it only costs Rp 50,000 or Rp 60,000 in Malaysia,” Yoyon said.

“It’s nice to see Health Minister [Budi Gunadi Sadikin] is talking about this [drug prices], but why did the government only start to address this problem now, and not 10 years ago,” Yoyon said.