Govt to Develop Modern Indonesian Medicines Based on Bioactive Compounds

RRI.CO.ID, Semarang - The Indonesian government is committed to promoting the development of modern Indonesian medicines derived from bioactive herbal plant ingredients.

Director General of the Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Textile Industry (IKFT) at the Ministry of Industry, Taufiek Bawazier said this while accompanying members of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) on a working visit to PT Industri Jamu dan Farmasi Sido Muncul in Semarang Regency on Friday, January 23, 2026.

Bawazier expressed his belief that the national herbal industry has a long history and great potential for further development, even on par with modern global medicine. He noted that the history of medicine shows natural medicines have long been used.

"If we look back at history, Hippocrates, known as the Father of Medicine, did not actually use chemicals. He used bioactive medicines," he said.

He added that the Ministry of Industry is encouraging the development of standardized herbal medicines and focusing on the development of bioactive ingredients for indigenous Indonesian modern medicines.

"Medicinal plants like sambiloto (Green chiretta) contain important active substances. These bioactives contain flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, and antioxidants that can treat serious diseases, including cancer. They are now being widely developed in Europe and America," he explained.

Taufiek added that the advantage of bioactives lies in extracting active substances from medicinal plants rather than using traditional processing methods. If Indonesia takes this opportunity seriously, it could excel in the natural resource-based pharmaceutical sector.

He acknowledged that one of the major challenges currently is that herbal medicines have not yet fully become the primary prescription for doctors. Until now, herbal medicines have only been used as a complement to modern chemical-based medicines.

"This is a major challenge for us, even though the natural resources are abundant in Indonesia. Meanwhile, we still import around 90 percent of pharmaceutical chemicals from China and India," he said.

Taufiek expressed his hope that the working visit by Commission VII will strengthen the synergy between the government, the legislature, and industry in promoting the independence of the national pharmaceutical industry.

"This visit proves that seeing is believing, with strong synergy, the national pharmaceutical and drug industry will become even stronger in the future," he said. (Misni Parjiati/Bambang MBKA)