4 Batuk Contains Paracetamol Suspected Death Picu 66 Children In West Africa, BPOM Makes Sure Not Circulating In Indonesia

Illustration-(Photo: ANTARA DOC)

JAKARTA - The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has confirmed that four medicinal products for coughingup containing paracetamol that allegedly triggered the death of dozens of children in Gambia, West Africa, are not registered in Indonesia. "Against the four products reported in Gambia, BPOM has conducted a data search and it is known that the four products are not registered in Indonesia," said BPOM's official statement confirmed through the Public Relations of BPOM RI in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, October 11. Through this information, BPOM continues to carry out comprehensive supervision of pre-market and post-markets from the circulation of these products in Indonesia. "BPOM continues to carry out routine supervision of drug products circulating," he said. Reporting from Reuters via Antara, no less than 66 children in Gambia, West Africa, were reported to have died after taking protective cough medicine containing paracetamol. The four products for coughingup include Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Couugh Syrup, Makoff Baby Couugh Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup. Gambia Health Service Director Mustapha Bittaye stated that he had withdrawn the sale of these drugs from the market due to the incident. The local government also conducted an investigation following a spike in cases of acute kidney injury in children under the age of five since the end of July 2022. Groups of children who died as a result of this are known to experience a number of symptoms, such as difficulty urinating, fever, vomiting, and kidney failure. The World Health Organization (WHO) in its official statement has issued a global warning for four cough drug clones allegedly related to the death of 66 children in Gambia. According to WHO, the four drugs were produced by Indian companyiden Pharmaceuticals, which allegedly has no product security guarantees. Laboratory analysis from samples of four products shows that all of these cough drugs contain glycol dietiles and glycol ethiles as contaminants that exceed the safe limit.