Indonesia bans cough syrup ingredients linked to child deaths

Cough syrup bottles collected from the public are seen in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, where 70 children have died after taking medicine made by an Indian pharmaceutical company. Indonesia is now looking into similar incidents. (AFP Photo)

JAKARTA: Indonesia has banned ingredients linked to the deaths of 70 children in The Gambia from cough syrups as it investigates acute kidney damage that has killed more than 20 children in Jakarta this year.

The food and drug regulator BPOM also said it was investigating the possibility that the ingredients, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, had contaminated other materials that are used as solvents.