JAKARTA - Police raided a shophouse that was used as a warehouse for storing Azithromycin in the Kalideres area, West Jakarta. It is strongly suspected that the drugs were deliberately stored to raise prices above the Highest Retail Price (HET).
"We see here that the facts found in the field are efforts to raise prices from the highest retail prices", said West Jakarta Metro Police Chief, Kombes Ady Wibowo to reporters, Monday, July 12.
Referring to data from the Ministry of Health, the 500 mg Azithromycin drug which is often consumed during the COVID-19 pandemic has a HET of IDR 1,700 per tablet. But with this hoarding, the price soared.
In addition, during the raid, the police seized 730 boxes of Azithromycin. Where each box contains 20 tablets. Not only that, but the police also found paracetamol and Dexamethasone.
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"Where is the highest retail price that we found, it should have been for one table, yes, it was for IDR 1,700, but we saw here that there was a price increase to IDR 3,350, that's the first time", he said.
In fact, based on the investigation the owner of the company who stockpiled deliberately ordered to withhold or store the drug. Of course, the goal is to increase the price because the drug is rarely circulated in the market.
"There was a conversation from the PT owner that not to sell it first, which means there is an indication for stockpiling. Then there was also a request from one of the customers who asked whether the drug was available or not but was answered not yet", said Ady.
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