Singapore’s Health Authority Turns Up the Heat on Out‑of‑Country Syrups
Why the buzz? Because toxic chemicals are lurking in overseas child‑meds.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) made a surprise announcement on Saturday (Oct 22) that a bundle of syrup and liquid medicines—seriously, a mini‑catalogue of dangerous little bottles—have been sold abroad but never hit the shelves in Singapore. The culprit? Contamination with ethylene glycol or its cousin, diethylene glycol – the very chemicals that can turn a sweet child’s medicine into an instant kidney danger.
Products that’re out of the box (and possibly out of the market)
- Termorex Fever
- Flurin DMP Sirup
- Unibebi Cough Sirup
- Unibebi Sirup Fever
- Unibebi Fever Drops
- Promethazine Oral Solution
- Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup
- Makoff Baby Cough Syrup
- Magrip N Cold Syrup
These trad‑foul cans come from four vendors: PT Konimex, PT Yarindo Farmatama, Universal Pharmaceutical Industries and Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
Current Singapore situation
HSA says it has “not found any of these medicines locally so far” and “has received no serious adverse event reports – no kidney breakdown or death in kids” coming from local healthcare professionals. Still, the authority is not pulling the plug on the sale of liquid meds in Singapore yet. They’re retaining an “on‑call retort” – if a local case pops up, a public alert and recall will be fired up.
Meanwhile, down the road in Indonesia, BPOM (the food & drug watchdog) decided enough is enough. Four manufacturers have been mandated to pull five brands of fever, cough and flu syrups off shelves and trash any remaining stock. The trigger? A verification that those medicines carried ethylene glycol in quantities that dwarf the safety threshold – nearly 100 children died this year from kidney injuries.
Not stopping at Indonesia, the Gambia is grieving over 70 kids who died from acute kidney injuries linked to paracetamol syrups made by the new‑Delhi‑based Maiden Pharma, which India is currently investigating.
How HSA keeps its dose crystal‑clear
Singapore’s Med-Safe Protocol demands that all liquid medicines sold here must meet international standards for quality, safety and efficacy. The HSA scrutinises clinical data, manufacturing practices, and quality controls, and conducts thorough checks to make sure every bottle adheres to Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines.
HSA is also giving a friendly reminder to anyone who might end up buying overseas meds: watch your health, stay on the lookout, and consult a doctor if you start feeling off. Symptoms of an acute kidney attack include lower urine output, swelling in the legs, ankles and around the eyes, fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath and confusion.
Bottom line: Stay safe, stay informed, and drink the right medicine.
HSA pledges to keep an eagle eye on the situation, tighten surveillance, and ensure that all locally available medicines remain safe for everyone.
Source: The Straits Times – Permission required for reproduction.
