We will cut the (licensing) time for innovative drugs from the previous 300 working days to 120 working days or even 90 working days.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), Taruna Ikrar, has said that the agency is committed to innovation, including accelerating drug licensing, especially for cancer drugs.

"The BPOM is committed to supporting drug innovation, drug availability, and being the vanguard in terms of protection, safety, and quality of drugs in our country," he asserted at the Etapidi and Brukinsa distribution permit handover event in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"We will do everything for the benefit of our society," he added.

According to Ikrar, there is a need to accelerate access to cancer drugs in Indonesia.

This is considering that out of the 20 million cancer cases worldwide, more than 400 thousand cases are reported in Indonesia each year, indicating the disease is deadly and requires faster treatment to prevent death through long-term availability of drugs, he explained.

He said that the seventh president Joko Widodo had called for expediting licensing so that drugs for cancer therapy can be quickly accessed by patients.

However, the BPOM will need to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the drugs without impeding the permit.

"We will cut the (licensing) time for innovative drugs from the previous 300 working days to 120 working days or even 90 working days. We cut almost 70 percent of the time. This is part of our innovation and we have to work hard," he informed.

He said he believes that collaboration with experts, universities, and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the availability of drugs for cancer therapy is necessary.

BPOM is also committed to accelerating the licensing of new drugs needed in Indonesia so that cancer patients can get drugs of the same quality as those available in Singapore or the United States without paying a high price, Ikrar added.

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Translator: Fitra Ashari, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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