At least 300 deaths reported so far in The Gambia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, most children
The over-the-counter cough syrups that caused deaths were suspected to be contaminated with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Photo: iStock The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm on substandard and falsified medical products, which have led to the death of at least 300 people, most of them children, in The Gambia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia. It has called for immediate action against the medicines to protect children.
The over-the-counter cough syrups were suspected to be contaminated with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Both are industrial solvents that can be fatal even if taken in small amounts. The Philippines, Timor Leste, Senegal and Cambodia might also be affected.
Read more: WHO alert on ‘sub-standard’ cough syrups made by Noida firm
The global health body has issued an alert for all 194 member states and urges a three-pronged approach to tackle the situation:
“Since these are not isolated incidents, WHO calls on various key stakeholders engaged in the medical supply chain to take immediate and coordinated action,” the global health body said.
The WHO sent three global medical alerts earlier, asking for the medicines to be taken off the shelves. The medical product alert N°6/2022 on October 5, 2022 focused on the outbreak in The Gambia, alert N°7/2022 on November 6, 2022 focused on Indonesia and alert N°1/2023 on January 11, 2023 focused on Uzbekistan.
Manufacturers of the medicines were advised to only purchase pharmaceutical-grade excipients (inert ingredients), put them under comprehensive testing and provide a guarantee for the quality of the product.
Suppliers and distributors of medical products must only to sell authorised medicines and maintain proper records to ensure accountability, WHO further said.
The cough syrups being sold in The Gambia and Uzbekistan were imported from India. Most recently, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) — India’s apex drug regulatory body — flagged 70 medicine batches that failed a random drug test for December 2022.
Read more: WHO sounds alarm on India-made cough syrups linked to children’s death in The Gambia
Maiden Pharmaceuticals’ cough syrups — linked with the deaths in The Gambia by the WHO, an accusation steadfastly denied by the Indian government — finds a mention in this list.
The CDSCO had released test reports in December 2022 that found five separate batches of the ‘CSP Cough Syrup for Throat & Chest’ manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals were declared not of standard quality, spurious and misbranded.
While Marion Biotech, linked with the deaths in Uzbekistan, was not mentioned in this list, the company lost its registration for failing to respond to the CDSCO about its cough syrups in time.
The manufacturer is currently under investigation, with the Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory in Chandigarh testing its cough syrups, health ministry Mansukh Mandaviya stated nearly a month ago on December 29, 2022.
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