- 8
- 04.11.2023 09:18:00
- 2 min read
In Indonesia, the head of Afi Farma, a producer of cough syrup, was imprisoned after the death of more than 200 children. This was reported by the BBC. Afi Farma was accused of producing cough syrups containing excessive amounts of toxic substances. The firm's boss and three other officials were sentenced to two years in prison and fined 1 billion Indonesian rupiah ($63,056; £51,786). A lawyer for the company said they deny negligence and the firm is considering whether to appeal. Prosecutors asked to sentence Afi Farma CEO Arief Prasetya Harahap to nine years, and the rest of the defendants to seven years in prison. The prosecutor said that between October 2021 and February 2022, the company received two batches of propylene glycol used to make cough syrup. Those batches contained between 96% and 99% ethylene glycol, the prosecutor said. Both substances can be used as additives to solvents. While propylene glycol is non-toxic and widely used in medicine, cosmetics and food, ethylene glycol is toxic and is used in paint, pencils and brake fluid. Prosecutors said the company did not test the ingredients used in the cough syrup and instead relied on quality and safety certifications from its suppliers. Afi Farma's lawyer, Samsul Hidayat, told the BBC that Indonesia's drug regulator did not require drugmakers to rigorously test ingredients. A judge in East Java's Kediri District Court found the four defendants guilty of intentionally manufacturing pharmaceutical products that do not meet safety standards. The case comes as efforts to tighten controls on drug supply chains are ramping up around the world following the poisoning. Since 2022, more than 200 Indonesian children, most of them under the age of five, have died from acute kidney injury linked to contaminated cough syrup. About 100 deaths were recorded in Gambia and Uzbekistan. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about six cough syrups produced in India and Indonesia.
