I have spoken to some people in the pharma industry about this issue and they suspect the companies were using cheaper industrial-grade (not pharma-grade) ingredients.
If you stick with the bigger pharmaceutical companies you will likely not have to be worried as I imagine it was cheaper/ smaller companies making very cheap local products that caused this horrific issue.
The top 10 pharma manufacturers are (taken from a website so i don't know how accurate this is but seems right):
- Dexa Medica 6.1%
- Sanbe Farma 5.4%
- Kalbe Farma 5.3%
- Kimia Farma (including Phapros) 3.9%
- Biopharma 3.8%
- Novartis 2.9%
- Novell Pharmaceutical Laboratories 2.9%
- Lapi 2%
- Interbat 2.0%
- Ferron Pharmaceutical 1.9%
These were the products that the FDA (BPOM) have withdrawn from the market:
- Termorex Syrup (fever medicine), produced by PT Konimex with distribution license number DBL7813003537A1, box packaging, plastic bottle @60 ml.
- Flurine DMP Syrup (cough and flu medicine), produced by PT Yarindo Farmatama with distribution permit number DTL0332708637A1, box packaging, plastic bottle @60 ml.
- Unibebi Cough Syrup (cough and flu medicine), produced by Universal Pharmaceutical Industries with distribution license number DTL7226303037A1, Box packaging, Plastic Bottle @ 60 ml.
- Unibebi Fever Syrup (fever medicine), produced by Universal Pharmaceutical Industries with distribution license number DBL8726301237A1, Box packaging, Bottle @ 60 ml.
- Unibebi Fever Drops (fever medicine), produced by Universal Pharmaceutical Industries with distribution license number DBL1926303336A1, Box packaging, Bottle @ 15 ml.
You'll notice they aren't any of the big local companies - so I honestly believe you will be fine to stick with the local bigger companies. I actually work with a few of the ones on the list and have found them to be very trustworthy (but I'm not in pharma - I am in cosmetics).
It's hard to import anything here - at the very least you'll need to pay tax on the shipment (and admin charges too) - at worst they won't allow it to enter Indonesia due to it being a medicine that isn't registered here. It's easier to get things through when they come directly from a company (including invoices etc.) when I get anything delivered from an individual (e.g. my sister sent me tea bags and chocolate once) you need to send lots of info into the customs people yourself to get the release so I don't recommend doing it that way.