“It is true that ethanol is one of the recommended medicines for the antidote of progressive acute kidney injury,” spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Mohammad Syahril, said at a press conference on the development of acute kidney injury in children, which was followed online on Monday.
According to him, research on the use of ethanol has currently entered the trial stage at RSCM, which is serving as the national referral hospital for AKI treatment.
The research is being conducted by several experts in drug research from RSCM and IDAI.
Currently, the government is still recommending the use of Fomepizole as an antidote for AKI, Syahril noted.
"It's just that this ethanol has to be repackaged to be used as medicine so that it can function, unlike Fomepizole, which is ready to use," he said.
According to the spokesperson, ethanol could be an alternative choice for treating drug poisoning caused by dangerous chemical compounds, namely ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG).
He further said that it could become an alternative because, considering the price of raw materials, ethanol is relatively cheaper than Fomepizole, which is priced at Rp16 million per vial.
At Monday’s press conference, Syahril also revealed that as of November 5, 2022, the total number of AKI cases in Indonesia has reached 324. The cases are spread over 28 provinces.
According to the Ministry of Health, the eight provinces with the highest number of cases are Jakarta, 83 cases; West Java, 41 cases; Aceh, 32 cases; East Java, 25 cases; Banten, 22 cases; West Sumatra, 20 cases; Bali, 16 cases; and North Sumatra, 15 cases.
Of the 324 patients, 195 have died, 27 are still undergoing treatment, and 102 have recovered.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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