Exclusive-Indonesia police probe drug regulators over cough syrup

FILE PHOTO: Safitri Puspa, 42, the mother of an acute kidney injury (AKI) victim, attends a preliminary hearing for a class-action lawsuit filed against the Indonesian government and drug companies for allowing the sale of tainted cough syrup at the court in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 17, 2023. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's police are conducting preliminary inquiries into whether any actions by officials at the country's drug regulator could amount to criminal wrongdoing, as they expand a probe into tainted cough syrups linked to the deaths of more than 200 children across the nation, two top inspectors told Reuters.

The police scrutiny of Indonesia's food and drugs agency (BPOM) is the latest escalation by states seeking accountability for contaminated syrups that were linked to the deaths of dozens more children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year. The World Health Organization is working with countries to investigate the global pharmaceutical supply chain for such syrups.