For its raw materials the pharmaceutical industry of Indonesia is highly dependent on imports. Around 90 percent of medicines' raw materials, roughly IDR 7 trillion (approx. USD $526 million), may be imported this year. Meanwhile, given the Indonesian government is eager to develop its universal health care program (launched in 2014), demand for pharmaceutical products in Indonesia is expected to rise further. Total clients under the national health insurance program is expected to rise from 162 million in 2015 to 186 million in 2016. By the year 2019 the government wants to provide universal health care to all Indonesians.

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In one of the next economic stimulus packages of the Indonesian government the focus will be on increasing domestic production of raw materials for medicines and medical devices. Currently, these industries are still highly dependent on imports of raw materials. It is estimated that around 90 percent of raw/basic materials for medicines and medical devices need to be imported from abroad and therefore cause additional pressure on Indonesia's balance of payments.

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Indonesian pharmaceutical company Merck, controlled by German consumer healthcare Merck Holding GmbH, plans to conduct a stock split in 2015 in a move to boost liquidity as well as increase trading of the company’s shares. Merck is currently discussing the stock split plan with the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK). Bambang Nurcahyo, Finance Director at Merck, said that the ideal ratio for the split is 1:20. An extraordinary general meeting (to discuss the plan) will be held in mid-2015.

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Indonesia Investments has updated the company profile of PT Kalbe Farma Tbk. Kalbe Farma is the largest listed pharmaceutical company in Indonesia and Southeast Asia (listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange/IDX). The company’s main business focus rests on four divisions: prescription pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, nutritionals as well as distribution & logistics. Its a leading provider of “comprehensive healthcare solutions”, from pharmaceuticals, nutrition, health foods and beverages to medical devices, including primary healthcare service.

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Phapros, subsidiary of state-owned Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia, intends to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2015 by offering 10 to 20 percent of its enlarged capital to the public. Through this corporate action, Phapros, a pharmaceutical products manufacturer, aims to raise IDR 500 billion (USD $42.3 million) which will be used to finance the company's capital expenditure in the next two years. The company expects to grow on the implementation of Indonesia’s social security program per 1 January 2014.

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Indonesian state-controlled pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma will construct Indonesia's first pharmaceutical salt factory in Jombang (East Java) in an attempt to supply the domestic market and curb imports of this type of salt. Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Dahlan Iskan said that the plant can commence operations near the end of 2014 and will have an annual production capacity of 2,000 tons of pharmaceutical salt (approximately two thirds of domestic demand).

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The government of Indonesia announced on Tuesday (24/12) that increased levels of foreign direct investments will be allowed in the country’s airports, pharmaceutical industries, power plants, and toll roads. The revision of Indonesia's Negative Investment List (Daftar Negatif Investasi), the list which stipulates which sectors are closed (or partly closed) to foreign investment, is conducted in order to attract more foreign investments from abroad as a means to combat slowing economic growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

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SidoMuncul Herbal, Indonesia´s largest herbal medicine producer, is expected to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in the fourth quarter of 2013. The company, established in 1951, is a fully-modernized herbal company that strives to produce and market products that support the people´s health and well-being. The company will release 20 percent of its shares on the IDX and targets to raise IDR 1.5 trillion (USD $130 million). Kresna Securities acts as underwriter for the IPO.

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Indonesia's mining sector is still the biggest beneficiary of both domestic and foreign direct investments. Investments in Indonesia's mining sector rose 23.8 percent in the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. This may be somewhat surprising as global economic turmoil in recent years has resulted in falling commodity prices and weak mining exports. Investments are the most important pillar of economic growth in Indonesia after the country's vibrant consumer industry.

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In the first quarter of 2013, Indonesia's manufacturing sector has received increasingly more investments compared to the same period last year. Investors directed IDR 53.26 trillion (USD $5.5 billion) towards Indonesia's manufacturing sector out a total of IDR 93 trillion (USD $9.6 billion) investment in Q1-2013. Compared to Q1-2012, investment in the manufacturing sector grew 84 percent. It is a positive development as it reduces Indonesia's dependence on natural resources, produces added-value products, and provides employment opportunities.

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One of the national industries that is heavily affected by the weak rupiah exchange rate is Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry. Considering around 90 percent of raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry need to be imported from abroad (in US dollars), production costs rise sharply in times of significant rupiah depreciation. It is estimated that materials imported from abroad account for about 75 percent of pharmaceutical companies' total production costs.

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Companies active in the pharmaceutical industry of Indonesia need to find strategies to overcome sharp rupiah depreciation. Indonesia’s pharmaceutical industry is still - to a large extent - dependent on the import of raw materials, hence a weakening rupiah raises the costs of imports thus eroding profit margins. Since May 2013, when the US Federal Reserve started to hint at monetary tightening, the US dollar has experienced bullish momentum. Between the May 2013 and July 2015, the rupiah depreciated around 37 percent against the US dollar.

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It is no secret that Indonesia's economy has been booming in recent years and is appearing more and more on the radars of foreign investors. In the 2000s it was the commodities sector that brought much profit for Indonesian companies that were engaged in the extraction of natural resources such as coal, palm oil, and rubber. The outbreak of the global financial crisis in the late 2000s, however, ended the commodities boom abruptly, while other sectors came to the fore as Indonesia's new gold mines.

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