The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new “Report of existing technologies used to screen and detect substandard and falsified medical products”, highlighting both progress and persistent gaps in the use of detection technologies to safeguard medical product quality.
Substandard and falsified medical products are a serious threat to global health. They endanger patients, undermine treatment outcomes and erode public trust in health systems. WHO estimates that in low- and middle-income countries, 1 in 10 medical products fail to meet quality standards, contributing to avoidable illness, death and billions of dollars in lost productivity and health care costs.
The report maps the growing use of screening and detection technologies – including portable spectrometry and chromatography – which enable more rapid, cost-effective product verification. However, uptake remains uneven. Many countries face challenges related to legal frameworks, financing and technical capacity. In several settings, testing is conducted reactively, following alerts or adverse events, rather than through routine surveillance.
Indonesia continues to strengthen regulatory oversight, building on the achievement of WHO maturity level 3 by Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) – the national regulatory authority – in 2018, and in alignment with the BPOM Strategic Plan 2020–2024 and the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025–2029. However, the need for continued vigilance was underscored in 2022, when contaminated cough syrups were linked to illness and death among children. The incident highlighted critical gaps in prevention, detection and response, and reinforced the urgency of sustained action.
The report calls for sustained investment in technology, capacity-building and policy to address these challenges, protect public health and accelerate progress at national and global levels. WHO remains committed to supporting Indonesia to strengthen medical product quality assurance and advance towards universal health coverage.
Download the Report of existing technologies used to screen and detect substandard and falsified medical products here: Report of existing technologies used to screen and detect substandard and falsified medical product