JAKARTA - PT Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk (KAEF) is building a drug raw material (BBO) production facility in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, to suppress imports of medicinal raw materials. This was conveyed by Verdi Budidarmo, President Director of KAEF, in a press release quoted on Wednesday (17/2).
He explained that the production facility had obtained a certification on BBO manufacturing process, from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), and a halal certification from Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). "By 2024, with the development of BBO production facilities, imports of medicinal raw materials are targeted to fall by 23%," added Budidarmo.
Furthermore, he said that KAEF also collaborated with an overseas company, Sung Wun Pharmacopia Co Ltd, from South Korea, to build a BBO production facility. However, the facility still prioritises the need for medicinal raw materials in Indonesia. Last year, BBO production facility produced 9 types of BBO.
According to Budidarmo, to be independent at making BBO faced a number of challenges, including technology, human resources, regulation, and economic scale. “The challenges must be faced by the drug raw material industry which is still relatively new in Indonesia," he said. (LK/VA)