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BPOM to crack down further on fake vaccines
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For healthier children: A worker from the Waelengga community health center in East Manggarai regency, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, administers a polio vaccine to a baby on the first day of National Polio Immunization Week in March. The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) is set to further investigate the recently uncovered distribution of fake vaccines nationwide. (thejakartapost.com/Markus Makur)
T
he Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) is set to work harder to uncover more locations that may have been affected by fake vaccines, in response to rising public concern.
"On what has been done to respond to the fake vaccines cases is that there has been a law enforcement process against the inappropriate actions and we will process that further. We have already set up a team. Let's work together and we commit to further processing the cases," newly appointed BPOM head Penny Kusumastuti Lukito said at the State Palace on Wednesday.
Speaking after her inauguration, Penny also expressed her sympathy for babies who were given fake vaccines, and their families, hoping that such incidents would not happen again.
"I am very sympathetic toward all families affected by the fake vaccines. Hopefully, there will be no similar cases again in the future," she said.
(Read also : New BPOM head vows to strengthen supervision)
The BPOM has cooperated with pharmaceutical companies Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Biofarma, whose brand names have been illegitimately used to sell fake vaccines.
The agency has also ordered its 32 branch offices across the country to trace the distribution of fake vaccines.
So far, fake vaccines have been found in seven locations, including Banten, Jakarta and West Java. The BPOM previously reported that it had found five types of counterfeit vaccines, namely Tuberfullin, Pediacel, Tripacel, Harfix and Biosef, all of which were discovered in the three provinces.
Following an investigation, the National Police have detained 15 suspects in the case. (ebf)
