Minister Expresses Optimism on Biotechnology Industry Development in Indonesia

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the Inauguration of Biopharmaceutical Company PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia at the Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung in Jakarta (10/07) (Photo by: PR of Cabinet Secretariat/Rahmat).

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin Friday (10/07) expressed his optimism on the development of biotechnology industry in Indonesia considering that the country has abundant biological diversity and genomic biodiversity.

The statement was coined by the Minister while accompanying President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Inauguration of Biopharmaceutical Company PT Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia at the Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP) in Jakarta.

On that occasion, Budi emphasized that the world trend in the last ten years showed that drugs sold in the market are biology-based drugs. A number of countries in the world including Singapore, the US, and South Korea are trying to develop biology-based pharmaceuticals.

It is expected that Indonesia will not lose opportunities in biotechnology industry development, according to the Minister.

In addition, Budi said that the Ministry has initiated the formation of Research Center for Biotechnology and Health named Biomedical and Genome Science Initiative (BGSi).

For the record, biotechnology is one of six pillars of transformation in the health sector. To that end, the Government through Ministry of Health has encouraged not only chemical-based drug development, but also biology-based drug development in all over Indonesia

“It is our hope that if Indonesia can lead biotech sector, then it will become a developed country,” he conclusively remarked.  (FID/UN) (AP/HD/MMB)