Sufmi Dasco Surprised That Jokowi's COVID Drug Oseltamivir Is Rare In Pharmacies, Even Though Produced By Pharmaceutical BUMN

Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad. (Photo: dpr.go.id)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Sufmi Dasco Ahmad admitted to being surprised by the loss of circulation of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs when President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited a pharmacy in Bogor, West Java.

The drugs for the COVID-19 therapy that the President is looking for are mostly pharmaceutical BUMN products, such as Indofarma's Oseltamivir, Favipiravir, and Kimia Farma's Azithromycin.

Dasco, who is also the chairman of the DPR's COVID-19 Countermeasures Task Force, said in a meeting between the DPR's Commission VI and the main directors of the pharmaceutical BUMN some time ago to ensure that drugs for COVID-19 therapy had been produced beyond their production capacity to meet the supply of drugs during this pandemic.

"I wonder why the current COVID-19 therapeutic drugs seem to have disappeared from the market. Even though the president directors of the Pharmaceutical SOEs in a meeting with Commission VI confirmed that they had produced more than their production capacity to meet supply on the market during this pandemic. ," said Dasco in a written statement in Jakarta, Antara, Saturday, July 24.

Therefore, the Daily Chairperson of the Gerindra Party DPP asked government officials and the police to investigate the disappearance of drugs for COVID-19 therapy.

Because, he said, do not let bad allegations occur, namely the hoarding of drugs for COVID-19 therapy by some parties.

"I ask the government and the police to investigate the disappearance of these drugs. Do not let there be allegations of hoarding of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs because of public panic about the current pandemic," said Dasco.

Previously, on Friday, July 23, President Jokowi directly checked the availability of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs at the pharmacy. However, the pharmacist replied that the stock of Oseltamivir was empty. The president asked again where he should look for the drug.

Pharmacists said that they had not received a supply of Oseltamivir for a long time. Finally, the remaining stock of Oseltamivir is the Fluvir brand.

"But now it's empty too," said the female pharmacist.

The President then asked about the availability of Favipiravir. The pharmacist also answered that they did not have it in stock, as well as vitamin D3.

The pharmacy only has vitamin D3 1000, while D3 5000 has run out. To Jokowi, the pharmacist said that his party had ordered the vitamin product again, but could not.

Until finally the President called the Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin to inform him that the drugs he was looking for for COVID-19 therapy were out of stock on the market.