Indian firm’s cough syrups may be tied to 66 deaths in Gambia: WHO
The HinduThe World Health Organization on Wednesday issued a medical product alert over four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India, warning that they could be linked to acute kidney injuries and deaths of 66 children in The Gambia. A senior Health Ministry official confirmed to The Hinduthat the WHO on September 29 informed the Drugs Controller General of India that it was providing technical assistance and advice to The Gambia where children were suspected to have died, and a significant contributing factor was suspected to be the use of medicines which may have been contaminated with diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. Urgent investigation in the matter had been taken up by the drug regulator with the State regulatory authorities immediately after receiving communication from the WHO based on the available information, the official said. The official added that while all required steps would be taken in the matter, “as a robust National Regulatory Authority, WHO has been requested to share at the earliest with Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation the report on establishment of causal relation to death with the medical products in question, photographs of labels/ products etc. The Health Ministry official further added that as per the tentative results received by the WHO, out of the 23 samples tested, four were found to contain diethylene glycol/ ethylene glycol as indicated.