JAKARTA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) and Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at enhancing bilateral collaboration in pharmaceutical and health product regulation.
The agreement facilitates information exchange, joint assessments, strengthened clinical trial oversight, capacity-building initiatives, and collaborative projects, including the application of artificial intelligence in supervising health products.
"BPOM views this cooperation as not only important for Indonesia and Singapore but also as part of efforts to strengthen the regulatory system in the ASEAN region, particularly in facing the challenges of health technology innovation and the responsible and safe development of advanced therapy products," said Taruna Ikrar, head of BPOM.
Cooperation between the two agencies has progressed since 2024, featuring technical discussions, laboratory training sessions, and a bilateral meeting between their leaders in Tokyo in April 2025, which laid the groundwork for the MoU.
HSA Chief Executive Officer Raymond Chua emphasized the authority's commitment to continually strengthening collaboration with BPOM as a strategic partner in the ASEAN region, while emphasizing the importance of policy and operational synergy between regulatory authorities to ensure public health protection and support responsible innovation. ■