Jakarta, INTI - Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) and China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) are set to sign a new memorandum of understanding (MoU covering drug regulation, vaccines, food safety, investment, and technology transfer.
BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar said the draft agreement had been finalized following a meeting with the NMPA in China.
“The meeting with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), or China’s BPOM, went well. We are preparing to formalize the MoU between BPOM Indonesia and NMPA. The draft has been completed, and we will sign it soon,” Taruna said in Beijing on Sunday.
The previous MoU between BPOM and NMPA expired in June 2024, prompting both sides to pursue an updated agreement with a broader scope of cooperation.
The new framework will cover the regulation of medicines, vaccines, biological products, pharmaceutical raw materials, traditional medicines, cosmetics, and digital regulatory technologies.
Taruna said the agreement could potentially be presented during a high-level APEC meeting involving Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Vaccine Technology Transfer Included in Cooperation
Taruna said the new MoU will also address investment, product safety, quality and efficacy, as well as technology transfer between the two countries.
“Some technologies, particularly vaccine technologies from China, could be supported through investment in Indonesia. At the same time, Indonesia has experts in pharmaceutical regulatory certification. BPOM has achieved WHO recognition, and our pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities have also developed significantly,” Taruna said.
BPOM holds WHO-Listed Authority (WLA) status, strengthening Indonesia’s position within the global pharmaceutical regulatory system.
Through a reliance mechanism, BPOM can use assessments conducted by established regulatory authorities as a reference while maintaining its own regulatory review process.
Taruna said the cooperation could also help Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers obtain Indonesian certifications related to good manufacturing practices for medicines and food products.
BPOM Seeks Chinese Investment to Reduce Dependence on Pharmaceutical Raw Materials
In addition to meeting with the NMPA, Taruna spoke at the International Biomedical Industry Innovation Conference Beijing Forum, organized by Tsinghua University.
He discussed the application of artificial intelligence in areas related to Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) and their various applications.
ATMPs are medical products whose active components are derived from cells or tissues and are used for the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of diseases. They include gene therapies, cell therapies, and tissue-engineered products.
“Tsinghua University is one of the world’s leading universities. I hope technologies developed there can be brought to Indonesia, while cooperation can also support human resource development and knowledge exchange,” Taruna said.
BPOM is also scheduled to visit several pharmaceutical, food, and capsule-manufacturing companies to encourage greater Chinese investment in Indonesia.
Taruna said the investment could help Indonesia reduce its dependence on imported pharmaceutical raw materials. He noted that Indonesia currently relies on imports for more than 90% of its pharmaceutical raw materials, making technology transfer and local investment important areas of cooperation.
Conclusion
The planned BPOM-NMPA MoU is expected to broaden Indonesia-China cooperation in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, food safety, investment, and technology transfer. The partnership could also support local pharmaceutical development and reduce Indonesia’s dependence on imported raw materials.
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