3 Pharmacies In Bogor Sell COVID-19 Drugs At 2 Times The Price, Owners Charged With Infectious Disease Outbreak Law

BOGOR - Bogor City Police, West Java, found three pharmacies selling COVID-19 drugs at very high prices, above the highest retail price (HET) and named the owner as a suspect.

"We found that the three pharmacies were selling antiviral drugs at very high prices, after previously conducting an investigation for two days, based on reports from the public," said Head of Bogor City Police, Kombes Susatyo Purnomo Condro, quoted by Antara, Friday, July 16.

The police said the three pharmacies were the Medika Pahlawan Pharmacy and the Pangestu Central Pharmacy in Bogor City, and the Tanjakan Puspa Pharmacy in Bogor Regency.

Susatyo explained that the three pharmacies sell antiviral drugs for COVID-19, namely Ivermectin and Favipirafir at prices that are more than double the HET.

From the police investigation, he said, the three pharmacies were selling COVID-19 antiviral drugs at twice the price of HET, selling them online, and selling them outside the Bogor area.

According to Susatyo, the owners of the three pharmacies were charged with Article 14 of Law No. 4 of 1984 concerning Infectious Disease Outbreaks.

Article 14 states, "Anyone who deliberately obstructs the implementation of epidemic control, whether epidemiological investigation, examination, treatment, treatment and isolation, prevention and immunity, extermination of the cause of disease, and handling of corpses, is threatened with a maximum imprisonment of one year and/or a maximum fine of Rp. 1 million

"The three pharmacies have violated article 14 in treatment," he said.

The police chief reminded people who know of drug sales above HET, especially online, including pharmacies selling drugs without a doctor's prescription, to report them to the police.

"This is being monitored by the Bogor City COVID-19 Task Force Team," he said.