If there are hundreds who have died and this has been declared as an act of crime against humanity, we demand the fairest punishment, not only five years and so onJakarta (ANTARA) - The recent acute kidney injury cases in Indonesia are related to the use of low-quality solvents as medicinal raw materials by unscrupulous syrup manufacturers to save production costs, according to the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI).
"I appreciate the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency’s (BPOM’s) effort to prove the contamination in the raw materials for syrup drugs," IDAI chairman Piprim Basarah Yanuarso remarked at a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He said the use of low-quality drug raw materials creates the potential for contamination with chemical compounds, such as ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG), that are harmful to patients’ health since they do not meet the requirements for pharmaceutical production.
"Apparently this case was like history. It happened in Bangladesh in the 1990s, when the motive was saving at a cost of a tenth of the normal cost," he pointed out.
He said that if drug poisoning in Indonesia is associated with the high price of syrup drug solvents, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) or propylene glycol (PG), it would make a lot of sense.
"If there are hundreds who have died and this has been declared as an act of crime against humanity, we demand the fairest punishment, not only five years and so on," he emphasized.
The government has concluded that the biggest risk factor that triggered the increase in cases of acute kidney injury in Indonesia was the presence of harmful chemical compounds in syrup drugs.
This was based on the finding of EG and DEG in the solvent propylene glycol in amounts above the safe threshold of 0.1 mg/ml for syrup drug products.
To date, BPOM has identified five syrup products contaminated with EG and DEG—Termorex Syrup (Bets AUG22A06), Flurin DMP Syrup, Unibebi Cough Syrup, Unibebi Fever Syrup, and Unibebi Fever Drops.
The products are produced by PT Yarindo Farmatama and PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries.
PT Afi Farma is also under the scanner over the EG/DEG levels in its Paracetamol Drops, Peppermint Flavored Paracetamol Syrup, and Vipcol Syrup, which exceed the safe threshold.
"Based on the results of the inspection, PT Yarindo purchased raw materials for PG produced by DOW Chemical Thailand from CV Budiarta, while PT Universal purchased raw materials for PG produced by DOW Chemical Thailand from PT Logicom Solutions," head of BPOM, Penny Lukito, disclosed.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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