The sale of all syrup and liquid medications has been halted in Indonesia because to the over 100 child fatalities there.
Officials said yesterday that Indonesia has discovered tainted medications that are suspected of being responsible for the deaths of 99 kids this year from acute renal damage.
Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency said it was tracing 26 medicinal syrups used to treat fevers, coughs and colds, noting that testing showed five such medicines had ethylene glycol levels “that exceeded the safe threshold,” it said in a statement.
It follows a global alert from the World Health Organization (WHO) on four cough medicines that were connected to over 70 child fatalities in The Gambia, a small west African nation.
Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup are the four products, according to the WHO.
“Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited is the product’s listed manufacturer (Haryana, India). The specified manufacturer has not yet given WHO assurances regarding the security and calibre of these products “the WHO.
“Laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four items reveals that pollutants such as diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are present in prohibited concentrations. These four products have so far only been found in The Gambia, but they may have travelled to other nations or areas via unofficial marketplaces.
In addition to yesterday’s ban on all syrup medications, Indonesia’s Health Ministry is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration to identify any more medications that may need to be withdrawn as a precaution, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
This year, the Health Ministry of Indonesia recorded 206 cases of acute renal damage in children from 20 regions, with a mortality rate of 48%.
When taken by humans, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are fatally poisonous.
According to the WHO, toxic consequences can include acute renal injury, acute stomach injury, vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty to pass urine, headache, altered mental status, and abdominal discomfort.
The Associated Press contributed further reporting.
Following the deaths of 99 children, Indonesia prohibits all syrup medications.
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