ASIATODAY.ID, BANDUNG – Indonesia’s House of Representatives has issued a stark warning over the country’s deep dependence on imported pharmaceutical raw materials, describing it as a serious threat to national health sovereignty.
Deputy Chair of Commission VII of the Indonesian Parliament, Evita Nursanty, revealed that 95 percent of raw materials used by Indonesia’s pharmaceutical industry are imported, leaving the nation dangerously exposed to global supply disruptions and geopolitical instability.
The statement was delivered after a parliamentary meeting with the Director General of Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Textile Industries at the Ministry of Industry, held at PT Bio Farma in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
“It is alarming. Our pharmaceutical industry relies almost entirely on imported raw materials—95 percent. This is a massive challenge. Why are we still unable to build our own raw material industry?” Evita said.
The meeting was attended by top executives of Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical holding, including the CEOs of Bio Farma, Kimia Farma, and Indofarma.
Lawmakers identified two major structural problems facing the sector: over 90 percent dependence on imported pharmaceutical raw materials and price pressure caused by the national e-catalog procurement system.
According to Evita, Indonesia’s pharmaceutical development has long been trapped in a narrow focus on downstream production, while the upstream industrial base—raw material manufacturing—remains critically underdeveloped.
As a result, the country remains vulnerable to global market shocks, export restrictions, and supply chain disruptions.
“Without control over raw materials, we cannot claim real health resilience,” she stressed.
Evita also urged the government to rethink its investment priorities, emphasizing that national capital should be directed toward strategic upstream industries rather than non-essential sectors.
She specifically addressed Danantara, Indonesia’s investment initiative, calling on it to prioritize pharmaceutical raw material production over textile manufacturing.
“Indonesia does not urgently need more textile factories. What we urgently need is an industry that produces pharmaceutical raw materials. Danantara must focus on building this capacity domestically, given our extreme level of dependence,” she said.
The legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) emphasized that health security is as vital as food security and national defense.
She called on the government to designate the pharmaceutical raw material industry as a National Strategic Program.
Without domestic control over essential pharmaceutical inputs, Evita warned, Indonesia will continue to face serious risks in ensuring medicine availability, public health services, and national resilience.
“This must become a presidential priority. Health independence begins with raw materials. Without them, Indonesia will always remain vulnerable to crisis,” she concluded. (AT Network)
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