2023-08-08 02:03:14
The World Health Organization warned, on Monday, of a contaminated batch of anti-cough medicine found in Iraq, manufactured by an Indian company.
The warning was delayed for some time until confirmation, as according to a previous statement by WHO spokeswoman Sarah Sheppard, in order to issue an alert, the World Health Organization and its member state (Iraq) must be convinced that the product was already on sale in a specific place.
Warning details
• The organization revealed that a batch of the syrup, which is sold under the name “Cold Out”, was found at a site in Iraq and sent for analysis in a laboratory.
• The organization added in its warning that the batch was manufactured by (Fortis Laboratories India) and that it contained diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol pollutants at levels higher than the permissible limit.
• The batch contains 0.25 percent diethylene glycol and 2.1 percent ethylene glycol.
• According to the Health Organization, the manufacturer and the marketing company did not provide guarantees regarding the safety and quality of the product.
Deadly precedents and Iraqi action
• Adding to concerns is that anti-cough medicines made in India were linked to the deaths of at least 89 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.
• The Iraqi Ministry of Health had confirmed, in a previous statement, that “the Committee for Combating Smuggled and Counterfeit Medicines in the World Health Organization informed the ministry regarding the Indian drug “Cold Out” circulating in the market on July 10, following the publication of the “Bloomberg” agency, an investigative report on it.
• The Ministry stated that it “conducted an audit of its records and found that the material and the production line were not registered, and confirmed the circulars to all relevant authorities not to circulate the material.”
• The Ministry confirmed that “forms were withdrawn from the market and examined in drug control laboratories, and it was found that the forms do not conform to the specifications and determinants approved by the Ministry of Health,” indicating that “the inspection department organized campaigns to control and confiscate the quantities traded in the private sector, and informed the World Health Organization of the matter and the measures taken.
And regarding the danger of this drug, the Iraqi pharmacist, Muhammad Al-Khafaf, explained, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”:
• The drug contains two main substances, paracetamol to reduce fever and anti-allergic chlorpheniramine, which was found to contain toxic doses of 2.1 ethylene glycol at a concentration of 21 times the permissible limit.
• This increase resulted in the recording of children’s deaths previously in several countries as a result of the consumption of Indian drink, as the high concentration of these substances and exposure to them several times, results in devastating effects for the kidneys and for the various vital functions of the child’s body and the human being in general.
• Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the presence of this substance has been discovered in Indian medicines, which necessitates the tightening of examination, control and quality procedures, and a review of the mechanisms for importing medicines and the companies that deal with them.
• Currently, this drink is being withdrawn from Iraqi pharmacies and stores, and it is being re-examined and the concentration of substances in it is measured.
• As pharmacists, we always advise parents of the need to buy general medicines, especially those for children, such as fever, cough and allergy reducers, from pharmaceutical companies known for the quality of their products and their strict standards. Unfortunately, many medicines in our time are subject to imitation, forgery, fraud, and manipulation of their specifications and concentrations, and consumers fall victim to this. .
• When children notice the slightest symptoms of poisoning with this drink, such as dizziness, slow response, rapid heart rate, and kidney damage, they must immediately go to the nearest hospital to prevent the worst from happening.
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