inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and the Ministry of Health have emphasized the need to strengthen regulations, accelerate health innovation, and develop domestic health products, including the Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) for tuberculosis detection.
According to Ministry of Health data, the burden of tuberculosis in Indonesia remains high, with around 867,000 cases diagnosed in the past year.
"If we can reduce the price of the IGRA test from 1 million rupiah to only around 50,000 rupiah, the impact on state finances will be enormous," said Vice Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus on Tuesday (4/21/2026).
He emphasized the importance of efficiency in developing health technology, particularly in diagnostics, including the IGRA, a blood test to detect tuberculosis infection. The Deputy Health Minister also emphasized the importance of cross-sectoral oversight of innovations currently being developed.
"I ask that we all work together to ensure that the IGRA test receives attention because it is crucial for accelerating TB control in Indonesia," said Benjamin.
He also highlighted the increasingly rapid and responsive processes at BPOM. Industry representatives, including Biofarma, echoed this sentiment, stating that the previously challenging process is now running more smoothly.
Furthermore, BPOM is also encouraging the development of natural-based medicines as part of its efforts to support the independence of the national health sector through research and downstreaming.
Meanwhile, BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar stated that Indonesia's natural ingredients have enormous potential and can continue to be developed.
"If the country has its own products, why don't we utilize them? With the resources we have, Indonesia should be able to produce its own health solutions," said Taruna.
According to him, increasing added value is key to strengthening the national pharmaceutical industry, given the enormous economic potential of Indonesia's natural ingredients, which is estimated to reach hundreds of trillions of rupiah annually.
"We want to elevate their status, not just as natural medicines or standardized herbal medicines, but as pharmaceutical products with higher value," he said.
Of the approximately 40,000 plant species in the world, he said, around 31,000 are found in Indonesia and have the potential to be used as raw materials for herbal medicines.
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