Indonesia seeks Russian partnership in local medicine production

Indonesia is interested in manufacturing Russian medicines locally and obtaining technology transfers, Food and Drug Authority head Taruna Ikrar said. Menit Indonesia reported on October 17 on his meeting with Russian Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Alexei Gruzdev.

The talks took place in Jakarta on Thursday. They covered investment, local manufacturing, joint research and drug development. The officials also discussed more efficient medicine registration and assessments of compliance with good manufacturing practice.

One approach discussed was using assessments by other regulators to reduce duplicated procedures.

The Indonesian authority has completed its internal review of a draft memorandum with Russia's Industry and Trade Ministry. It incorporated legal comments from Indonesia's Foreign Ministry and sent the revised text to Russia. It is awaiting a response before continuing negotiations.

The authority backed a proposal to sign the document during the International Forum of Pharmaceutical Inspectorates in Hanoi on November 16–17. Signing depends on completing the text.