Indonesia has banned the sale of all India-made syrup and liquid medicines following the deaths of nearly 100 children and increase in cases of acute kidney injuries.
The ban, announced by the Health Ministry of Indonasia, will remain until authorities complete an investigation into unregistered medical syrups suspected of containing toxic ingredients.
The Health Ministry spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, said 99 deaths and 206 cases of acute kidney injuries in children, mostly under the age of 6, were being investigated.
The ban comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) linked four India-made cough syrups to the deaths of up to 70 children suffering acute kidney failure in The Gambia, West Africa.
World Health Organisation (WHO) suspects that four of the syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited – Promethazine oral solution, Kofexmalin baby cough syrup, Makoff baby cough syrup and Magrip N cold syrup – contained unacceptable amounts of chemicals that could damage the brains, lungs, livers and kidneys of those who take them.
Earlier, 65 children died in Gambia due to acute kidney failure after taking an Indian made cough syrup. The WHO has linked the death of 65 children in Gambia due to acute kidney failure to the four cough syrups made in India.—KMS
