VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti. (ANTARA/HO-DPR RI) - 

Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has asked the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) to draft special rules or policies for the development of jamu (herbal medicines).

"The pandemic has opened up quite a large market opportunity for medicinal plants and traditional jamu. We must take advantage of this momentum, where 'back to nature' is currently a trend in society," he said in a press release received here on Friday.

The BPOM must make efforts and breakthroughs to help jamu develop, he stressed. One such effort is making particular policies or rules for the development of jamu.

Based on research data from the Ministry of Health, in 2017, there were 32 thousand traditional medicinal formulas and 2,848 types of plants identified as ingredients of traditional medicine.

It is sometimes difficult to do clinical trials on the efficacy of traditional jamu and herbs, Mattalitti said. Generally, traditional jamu formulas are inherited from generation to generation, and even made using unusual techniques that not everyone can perform, he noted.

This means that many traditional herbal ingredients can only be made by certain people and cannot be mass-produced, he pointed out. This makes it difficult to find empirical data, let alone conduct clinical trials, he said.

"Traditional herbs fall into the category of ancient formula, and of course, it is difficult for the BPOM to issue a distribution permit. Because this is cultural property and biodiversity. We hope that the BPOM will issue a policy with a separate clause and not use general rules like the production of other mass drugs," he added.

Mattalitti also urged the BPOM to collect documentation or empirical evidence on traditional ingredients or medicines.

Given the great potential, he said, the traditional medicine industry, especially units managed by MSMEs, deserves to be given the opportunity and assistance to develop.

Mattalitti also said he hopes that BPOM will conduct dissemination and communication more often about the standards and factors that MSMEs must meet related to the production of traditional medicines.

"The BPOM also needs to provide solutions that directly solve the problems faced by MSMEs, so that their production process is in accordance with the applicable regulations," he added//ANT