Which parent doesn’t panic, try, when the pandemic subsides, suddenly there is a case of a toddler who died from acute kidney failure. The reason is that there is contamination in the medicinal syrup… auto stop using medicine in the form of syrup for children, please. For me, who has an 8-year-old child, it’s difficult to find medicine when the child has a fever and a cold cough, because he can’t take tablets or capsules yet, given powder medicine instead he vomits because it tastes bitter, can you imagine if his child was still a toddler.
What else can you do, medicinal syrup is the most practical to give to children. It had subsided and was allowed to consume medicinal syrup again, but another case of acute kidney failure was found in children in early 2023. Parents are becoming increasingly protective of their child’s immune system, and prefer alternative treatments such as drinking jamu and herbal concoctions.
Thank God, now I don’t have to worry anymore about the syrup that is usually consumed by children and is available in first aid kits, because it has been declared safe. Loh, where do you know that medicinal syrup is safe for children? I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend the “Health Interactive Dialogue: Safe Drug Syrup for Children”, 21 March 2023 at the Royal Hotel Kuningan, Jakarta.
The event is a collaboration between the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Companies Association (GPFI) together with the Ministry of Health, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the Indonesian Pharmacist Association (IAI) and Pharmacology Experts.
From this event I got the most updated information regarding medicinal syrup and its safety for consumption, especially for children. The health and safety of children is always our top priority as parents, Mom.
The following is the information I got from the Health Interactive Dialogue yesterday, as we all know that Acute Kidney Failure in Children (GGAPA) is a disorder that has been around for a long time, but recently it has become increasingly feared when for the first time in history in Indonesia, there was a spike in sufferers en masse during the period January 2022 to October 2022.
Since the GGAPA case caused by contamination of medicinal syrup was announced in October 2022, all relevant agencies and organizations have conducted a thorough investigation and re-evaluation and concluded that the only cause of the GGAPA case that occurred was due to contamination of the Propylene Glycol (PG) solvent. / Propylene Ethylene Glycol (PEG) which was replaced with Ethylene Glycol (EG) / Diethylene Glycol (DEG) by a chemical supplier company.
However, until now, the intense news regarding the case of this medicinal syrup is still troubling the public. This causes the conversion of the drug form from syrup to powder form, which hygienically does not necessarily meet the requirements for good drug quality.
Seeing the importance of providing accurate, certain and reliable information regarding the safety of using medicinal syrup or what is commonly called syrup medicine, to parents and Pediatricians.
Health Interactive Dialogue: Safe Medicine Syrup for Children
Presenters:
1. MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Dr. DRA. Agusdini Banun Saptaningsih, APT., MARS as Director of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution, Directorate General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, Ministry of Health, Republic of Indonesia
2. BPOM
DRA. Tri Asti Isnariani, APT, M.PHARM
as Director of Standardization of Drugs, Narcotics, Psychotropics, Precursors & Addictive Substances (ONPPZA) and PLT. Director of Drug Registration at the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency of the Republic of Indonesia
3. IDAI
Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, SP.A(K) as General Chairperson of the Indonesian Pediatricians Association Center
4. IAI
APT. I offend Roestram, S.SI
as Chairman of the Central Board of the Indonesian Pharmacist Association
5. ACADEMY
PROF. APT. I Ketut Adyana, MSI., PH.D
as Professor of Pharmacology – Clinical Pharmacy, Bandung Institute of Technology
PROF. Dr. RER. NAT. APT. Rahmana Emran Kartasasmita (Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bandung Institute of Technology
Mona Ratuliu was also present, who represented many parents in Indonesia who were worried about acute kidney failure in children due to contamination of the syrup that children usually consume.
Dr. dr. Agusdini Banun Saptaningsih, Apt., MARS, as Director of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution, Directorate General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia stated: “The competent health authority declares that drug syrup that has been re-verified and released by BPOM is a safe drug syrup. . So that people can return to using medicinal syrup by following the recommendations for use “.
Dra. Tri Asti Isnariani, Apt, M.Pharm
As Director of Standardization of Drugs, Narcotics, Psychotropics, Precursors & Addictive Substances (ONPPZA) and Plt. The Director of Drug Registration, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency of the Republic of Indonesia stated: “The list of medicinal syrup products that are safe for consumption as long as they follow the recommendations for use, can now be seen on the BPOM website / social media or through other BPOM publication channels. Communities, patients, health facilities and doctors are asked to no longer worry and doubt.
The list of medicinal syrup products that are safe for consumption as long as they follow the rules of use can now be seen on the BPOM website/social media or via https://www.pom.go.id/new/view/direct/klarifikasi_sirup_obat
In relation to GGAPA, Prof. apt. I Ketut Adnyana, Msi., Ph.D as Professor of pharmacology – Clinical Pharmacy, Bandung Institute of Technology, explained that last year’s GGAPA case occurred due to drug intoxication contaminated by EG/DEG which exceeded the threshold so that it had a massive impact. However, it should be noted that GGAPA can be caused by various other factors (multifactorial) such as the patient’s health status (history), allergies to certain substances, infections (including Covid-19), nutritional status (dehydration), drugs, food, heavy metals, toxicants (EG/DEG from various sources), and so on.
General Chairperson of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association Center, dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, Sp.A(K) conveyed almost the same thing, he said that GGAPA has been around for a long time, so it is necessary to investigate the causes of GGAPA if only individual cases occur.
Facts already speak that the results of re-verification of medicinal syrup products by BPOM as of November 2022 are safe, so medicinal syrup products that have been re-released by BPOM, can be prescribed again by doctors and can be consumed by the public in peace as long as they follow the rules of use.
Chairman of the Central Board of the Indonesian Pharmacist Association, apt. Noffendri Roestram, S.Si explained the experience of pharmacists in receiving complaints from the public who had difficulty getting access to medicinal syrup that had not been allowed to circulate and the lengthy process of obtaining powdered drugs, during last year’s temporary withdrawal period for medicinal syrup. However, the absence of mass cases of GGAPA since the release of medicinal syrup products by BPOM in December last year proves the safety of these products.
Thus, patients and their parents no longer need to worry and are encouraged to buy medicinal syrup at an official pharmacy, either based on a doctor’s prescription or for purchasing over-the-counter drugs.
Conclusion of the Health Interactive Dialogue
Tirto Kusnadi as General Chairperson of GP Pharmacy closed with conclusions drawn from the results of the Health Interactive Dialogue.
1. There are 2 factors that cause GGAPA. The first is individual GGAPA which occurs due to the individual’s medical factors and the second is mass childhood renal failure which is characterized by the occurrence of a large number of cases simultaneously, which is caused by contamination.
2. By having been declared by the competent health authority that the drug syrup that has been re-verified and has been released by BPOM is a safe drug syrup, the Pediatrician does not need to hesitate anymore to prescribe drug syrup to patients and the public can also use syrup again medication following the instructions for use.
3. Finally, Tirto Kusnadi again reminded his members to remain disciplined in applying the Correct Method of Manufacturing Medicine (GMP) and the Correct Method of Drug Distribution (CDOB).
So Mom’s, if you really need medicinal syrup for our sick children, you don’t need to worry anymore, right, especially if the medicine we usually give is already on the list of safe medicines from BPOM.