Indonesian authorities have temporarily banned sales of some syrup-based medications and identified the presence of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in some products as possible factors in the deaths of 141 children, most of which were under five.

BPOM chief Penny K. Lukito said the agency will work with police to investigate the two firms with a view to criminal proceedings over the composition of their products. She did not identify the two companies.

“There are indications in their products… (of concentrations) that are highly excessive, highly toxic, and suspected to cause the kidney injury,” she said.

Indonesia is looking into its rise in AKI cases in consultation with paediatric experts and the World Health Organization, following a similar pattern in Gambia, which has seen at least 70 child AKI deaths related to syrup medications.

BPOM recently named three medications that contained high levels of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol and ordered those be taken out of circulation.