Indonesian Military's Pharma Units to Sell Medicines to Public by End of 2025

October 7, 2025 | 05:23 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Defense plans to begin selling medicines to the public by the end of 2025, with prices reportedly much lower than those of commercial pharmaceutical companies.

Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin emphasized that the initiative aims to make essential medicines more affordable.

“By the end of this year, we will sell medicine to the public, of course at a much cheaper price,” Sjafrie said during a press conference at the Central Hospital of the National Defense Panglima Besar Soedirman in South Jakarta, Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

Sjafrie explained that the lower pricing is made possible through defense cooperation agreements between Indonesia and countries with pharmaceutical production capabilities, such as China and India. These partnerships allow the Ministry to secure raw materials for medicine production at reduced costs.

“The raw materials we import and manage in our pharmaceutical factories will be assisted and certified by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM),” he added.

Since July 2025, the Ministry and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) have been producing medicines across their respective pharmaceutical institutions (Lafi).

Each branch produces different types of medicines: the Army manufactures paracetamol under the brand Fimol, the Navy produces the pain reliever Ponstal, and the Air Force makes the antibiotic Cefalaf.

The Ministry of Defense has also contributed multivitamin products to support the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.

On October 1, 2025, these products were delivered to communities, and four days later, millions of pharmaceutical items were distributed to the Red and White Village Cooperative and 100 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) or MBG kitchens, ensuring access to essential medicines for the public.

BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar welcomed the Ministry’s efforts and highlighted the importance of government-to-government cooperation in securing pharmaceutical raw materials.

“Although BPOM has strategies to meet the country’s pharmaceutical raw material needs, the process is often lengthy. Access to international cooperation, as facilitated by the Ministry of Defense, can help expedite procurement,” Taruna said.

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