An Indonesian court has ordered two companies, Afi Farma and CV Samudera Chemical, to compensate the families of over 200 children who died or were injured after taking toxic cough syrup distributed by the companies. The families will receive up to 60 million rupiah ($3,850) for each child affected. The poisoning led to acute kidney disease and disabilities in some survivors. The court found the companies at fault, but cleared the Health Ministry and the BPOM of any wrongdoing.
Suspicions about the cough syrups arose in 2022 when children became seriously ill after taking what their parents believed to be common cold medications. The government then withdrew syrup-based medicines from sale and revoked permits for over 1,000 such products. Following this, 25 families filed a civil suit against the food and drugs agency and pharmaceutical companies.
Last year, a criminal court found Afi Farma guilty of negligence for not testing the ingredients sent by its supplier and jailed officials. Investigations revealed that the syrups contained a high concentration of ethylene glycol, a chemical unsafe for consumption according to international standards. Afi Farma has consistently denied negligence.
In 2022, children in The Gambia and Uzbekistan also died from kidney disease after consuming contaminated cough and cold syrups. The court’s decision to compensate the families affected by the toxic cough syrup incident in Indonesia has brought some justice, but questions remain about how such a tragedy could have occurred and what steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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