Indonesian Drug Raw Mats' Import Duty "Should Be Lifted"

Import duty on pharmaceutical raw materials should be removed to ensurelocal medicine prices do not rise, according to the head of the Indonesian Medical Association, Azrul Azwar.

At a press conference in the nation's capital Jakarta, Prof Azwar said that drug "price rises are caused by the rupiah's depreciation against the US dollar. Almost 90% of all medicinal raw materials are imported so that if the dollar keeps rising, medicines will become too expensive for the general public."

The government should also form a consortium of pharmacy firms to allocate funds for raw pharmaceutical material research, he suggested. "In Indonesia, there are thousands of plants which could be used as medicinal raw materials," said Prof Azwar, and "if we use them properly, they could meet the domestic demand and even [allow for] exports."