The theme of this competition is "Implementation of Pharmaceutical Science in Preventing Antibiotic Resistance". Oca chose the sub-theme "Innovation of Natural Product Ingredients for Antibiotic Resistance" and raised the topic of Multi Drugs Resistance Tuberculosis (MDRTB).

Her essay discusses garlic (Allium sativum) which can be used as a supporting herbal preparation or has the potential as the main herb in preparation of treating MDRTB cases. The specific active compound in garlic is allicin that could treat antibiotic resistance in MDRTB.

In writing the essay, she used the “5 Why” method to explore the topic further. In the final round, Oca presented her essay in front of the judges outstandingly since she had mastered the material regarding her essay. “The key is to read a lot, be curious, and don’t feel that your essay is the best at the beginning,” she said.

In finding sources for the essay, Oca even looked for articles from various languages ??and had to translate them one by one. “One of the challenges in the competition was that finding journal material was quite difficult for me because there weren’t many articles in Indonesia. So I had to look for articles from abroad, even articles from Japanese, Spanish, and had to translate them into Indonesian first,” she said.

Oca admitted that she took part in the competition while undergoing an internship. Even so, with good time management and calculation, she proved that awards can be achieved in any circumstances.

Reporter: Devi Berliana Pratiwi (Pharmaceutical science and technology, 2021)
Translator: Ayesha Lativa Mafaza (Postharvest Technology, 2021)