BPOM marks milestones in affordable medication and consumer safety

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) highlighted several accomplishments in 2024, ranging from the provision of affordable medication to enhanced supervision for consumer protection and safety.

"We have cut the licensing process for innovative drugs from 300 working days to 120 or even 90 working days. This is part of our profitable innovation where the price of drugs become cheaper since it reduces production costs," BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar noted in a statement here Saturday.

In customer protection, BPOM has expanded the scope of drug and food supervision through the Joint Drug and Food Supervision Operation (GEMPUR) program, which has confiscated thousands of illegal and dangerous products in various regions.

Ikrar noted that the agency also launched the BPOM Mobile 2024 application to enable the public to access information related to product safety. In the first three months after its launch, the application has been downloaded over one million times.

"We are committed to providing transparent and accurate information to the public. This is a form of our dedication to serving the public," he remarked.

The BPOM successfully confiscated over 1.09 billion finished drug tablets, along with 404 sacks and 83 drums of raw materials. Additionally, they seized 45 sacks, 17,478 bottles, 1,192 rolls of aluminum foil, and 17,195 cartons of packaging materials. The total value of these illegal drugs amounted to approximately Rp317 billion (USD1 = around Rp16,185) as part of the efforts to combat drug abuse.

Ikrar also mentioned that the BPOM has been acknowledged for its effective implementation of a meritocracy system, which has been highly regarded by the State Civil Service Commission (KASN).

In addition, the BPOM actively encourages the development of the younger generation and MSMEs through food safety training programs and innovation-based product development by fostering more than 10 thousand MSMEs across Indonesia.

Ikrar announced that the agency has also obtained international certification ISO 9001:2015 for its Quality Management System, which enhances BPOM's status as a globally recognized authority in drug and food regulation.

To encourage the drug research ecosystem, the agency has created the concept of Academia, Business, Government (ABG) to develop research and innovation with universities across Indonesia. To date, 52 universities have signed a joint agreement with BPOM.

Moreover, Ikrar affirmed that the agency continues to take strict action against all illegal beauty or skincare businesses with products endangering health in several cities, such as Makassar, Jakarta, Surabaya, and Medan.