A dozen Indonesian families whose relatives died or were injured after consuming tainted cough syrups have sued the government and companies accused of supplying the products.
Indonesia has seen a spike in cases of acute kidney injury since August, with the deaths of at least 199 people, mostly children, prompting a probe and ban on some liquid medicine sales, reports AFP.
The lawsuit targets the ministry of health, the country's food and drug agency and seven companies implicated in selling syrups containing excessive amounts of two compounds used in industrial products.
Awan Puryadi, a legal representative of the victims' relatives, told the news agency that they took action because the authorities failed to prevent the sale of harmful medicines and the subsequent child deaths or injuries.
Families are seeking compensation of around 2 billion rupiah ($127,049) for every person killed and around 1 billion rupiah ($63,524) for every person injured, he added.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
