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PT Kalbe Farma has officially pulled their Buvanest Spinal anesthetic drug following two deaths that might have been caused by the drug, including a mother who had just given birth. 

“The product has been withdrawn voluntarily by Kalbe as a preventative measure. It has been withdrawn nationally,” said Hari Nugroho, the head of communications at Kalbe, as quoted by MetroTV News today.

Buvanest Spinal anesthesia consists of an injection containing bupivacaine 5 mg/mL and is often used for cesarean deliveries. The Buvanest product recall follows two cases of patients dying at Siloam Hospital Karawaci, Tangerang. Both patients died after getting Buvanest Spinal injections. One was a young mother who had recently given birth. 

While the product recall would appear to be an admission of fault on the part of the pharmaceutical company, Hari said they were still awaiting the results of investigations carried out with the Ministry of Health and the Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) before any conclusions are made. 

Despite today’s recall announcement, the price of Kalbe Farma’s stock has remained steady throughout the day.  

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