Contaminated cough syrups are in circulation in several countries. These have already resulted in child deaths. The WHO warns.
Update from Tuesday, January 24, 1:50 p.m.: After life-threatening cough syrups for children surfaced in seven countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on all countries to conduct stronger tests. Counterfeit medicines or those that do not meet safety standards must be identified and withdrawn from circulation, the WHO warned in Geneva on Monday (January 23). A WHO spokeswoman said on Tuesday in Geneva that it was unclear whether it was counterfeit medicines or juices that were accidentally contaminated during production.
At least 300 young children in three countries have died in the past few months after ingesting cough syrups that can be bought without a prescription. They contained toxic substances such as industrial solvents or antifreeze, which could be deadly even in small quantities. The WHO did not initially say which countries were involved. The organization had already issued warnings about incidents in The Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan.
At least 18 children die after ingesting cough syrup in Uzbekistan
First report from Friday, December 30th: Uzbekistan – At least 18 children in Uzbekistan have died suddenly after drinking cough syrup. The local Ministry of Health said in a press releasethat, according to the first reports, it had carried out an on-site inspection including a search in the city of Samarkand. Cough syrup samples were taken. The ministry is in contact with the Uzbek authorities in connection with the syrup Dok1 Max from the pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech.
The local medicines agency also conducted an inspection of the manufacturing facility in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India and took samples of cough syrup, which were sent to a laboratory for analysis. The Uzbek prosecutor’s office has launched a case into the distribution of adulterated medicines, the Fergana news agency said on Thursday (December 29).
A spokeswoman for the Uzbek secret service had previously said that the suspects were in custody. Investigations are being carried out against those responsible at the company Quramax Medical, which imported the cough syrup, and at the GmbH “Scientific Center for the Standardization of Medicines” in Uzbekistan. The spokeswoman did not provide any information about the number of those arrested, reports the AFP news agency.
Cough syrup apparently contaminated: at least 18 children die
Marion Biotech was not available on Thursday for inquiries from the German Press Agency. A company employee told the Indian news agency ANI that the production of the syrup had now been stopped. The company website was recently offline. An archived version of the website says the company’s products are sold in India, Russia and ex-Soviet republics, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
According to the Uzbek Ministry of Health, the cough syrup is contaminated with the toxic chemical ethylene glycol, which is found in antifreeze, for example. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in October that several cough syrups from India contained “unacceptable levels” of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol.
India is known as the pharmacy of the world and manufactures many medicines cost-effective, especially for poorer countries. The drugs, manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical company Maiden Pharmaceuticals, have been linked to the deaths of nearly 70 children in The Gambia. The children had died of acute kidney failure, reports the AFP news agency. The authorities in India had initiated investigations into Maiden Pharmaceuticals after the WHO warning. An investigation showed that the drugs in question met the “quality standards”, it was said afterwards. (slo/dpa/AFP)