India halts cough syrup production at factory after Gambia deaths

WHO report discovered the Maiden Prescription drugs medication could also be linked to the deaths of dozens of youngsters within the African nation.

Maiden Pharma
Brand of Maiden Prescription drugs is seen on a board exterior their workplace in New Delhi [File: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters]

Indian authorities have halted manufacturing of cough syrup at a manufacturing unit of Maiden Prescription drugs, a state minister mentioned, after a World Well being Group (WHO) report mentioned the drugs could also be linked to the deaths of dozens of youngsters in The Gambia.

The well being minister in Haryana state, Anil Vij, on Wednesday mentioned the authorities inspected a Maiden manufacturing unit close to the city of Sonipat within the state and located 12 violations of fine practices. Manufacturing was ordered stopped, Vij mentioned.

The WHO mentioned final week that laboratory evaluation of 4 Maiden merchandise – Promethazine Oral Answer, Kofexmalin Child Cough Syrup, Makoff Child Cough Syrup and Magrip N Chilly Syrup – had “unacceptable” quantities of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which might be poisonous and result in acute kidney harm.

Gambian police, in a preliminary investigation report on Tuesday, mentioned the deaths of 69 kids from acute kidney harm have been linked to the cough syrups made in India and imported by way of a United States-based firm.

It is among the worst such incidents involving medicine from India, typically dubbed the “pharmacy of the world”.

Information web site Moneycontrol earlier quoted the Haryana medicine controller as saying in a report that Maiden didn't carry out high quality testing of propylene glycol, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, whereas sure batches of propylene glycol didn't have the manufacturing and expiry dates.

Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are utilized in antifreeze and brake fluids and different industrial purposes but additionally as a less expensive different in some pharmaceutical merchandise to glycerine, a solvent or thickening agent in lots of cough syrups.

Maiden govt Naresh Kumar Goyal declined to remark. He instructed Reuters information company final week the corporate was looking for out from its purchaser what had occurred in The Gambia.

Maiden says on its web site it has an annual manufacturing capability of two.2 million syrup bottles, 600 million capsules, 18 million injections, 300,000 ointment tubes and 1.2 billion tablets at three factories.

It mentioned it sells its merchandise at house and exports to international locations in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The cough syrups had been authorized for export solely to The Gambia, India says, though the WHO says they could have gone elsewhere by means of casual markets.

India’s well being ministry mentioned final week that samples of all 4 Maiden merchandise that had been exported to The Gambia had been despatched for testing to a federal laboratory and the outcomes would “information the additional plan of action in addition to deliver readability on the inputs acquired/to be acquired from WHO”.

Indian well being officers and the WHO didn't reply to requests for remark.

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