BPOM Will Criminalize 2 Pharmacy Industry Related To Contaminant Content of EG-DEG Syrup Drugs

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) Penny Kusumastuti Lukito delivered a press conference at the Bogor Presidential Palace (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency will criminalize two pharmaceutical industries for finding that the ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG) contaminants were too high in the syrup they circulated.

However, the Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) Penny Kusumastuti Lukito did not mention the specifics of the two pharmaceutical industries.

"We have found two pharmaceutical industries that we will follow up with to be criminalized", said Penny in a press statement after a limited meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, reported by ANTARA, Monday, October 24.

Penny has assigned Deputy IV of BPOM for Enforcement to cooperate with the Indonesian Police to conduct further investigations related to the conviction of the two pharmaceutical industries.

"I can't say right now because the process is still ongoing and we will certainly communicate it to the public soon", he said.

Penny explained that the punishment was based on the finding that the EG and DEG content of syrup drug products from the two pharmaceutical industries were not only contaminants but very high.

"There are indications that the content of EG and DEG in the product is not only in concentrations as contaminants, but is very, very high and of course very toxic and is precisely suspected of causing acute kidney failure in this case", he said.

Regarding the truth that the two pharmaceutical industries are producers of five syrup drugs whose withdrawal was previously announced by BPOM on Thursday, October 20 last week, Penny also refused to answer.

On Thursday, October 20, BPOM announced that five syrup medicinal products in Indonesia containing EG contamination exceeded the safe threshold.

First, the fever medicine Termorex Syrup is packaged in 60 milliliters (ml) plastic bottles produced by PT Konimex with distribution permit number DBL781300353A7A1. Then, cough and cold medicines, Flurin DMP Syrup, packaged in 60 ml plastic bottles, were issued by PT Yarindo Farmatama with distribution permit number DTL0332708637A1.

The other three products are syrups produced by Universal Pharmaceutical Industries, namely cough and flu medicine Unibebi Cough Syrup size 60 ml with distribution permit number DTL7226303037A1, Unibebi fever medicine Fever Syrup size 60 ml with distribution authorization number DBL8726301237A1, and Unibebi fever medicine Fever Drops size 15 ml with distribution authorization number DBL1926303336A1.

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that until now cases of acute kidney disorders in children reached 245 cases spread over 26 provinces with a death rate of 141 victims or 57.6 percent.