Syrups produced in India continue to make small victims: the Minister of Health of Uzbekistan confirmed that 18 children died after ingesting the one released by Marion Biotech. In recent weeks, dozens of other deaths of children caused by another Indian-made syrup had come from The Gambia. India, often dubbed the world‘s pharmacy, manufactures a third of the world‘s medicines, mostly generics. The relevant ministry said that preliminary tests showed that a batch of the medicine contained ethylene glycol, a toxic substance, as well as that the children were given Dok-1 Max syrup without a prescription and in an amount that exceeded the dose. standard for those age group.
The indictment from Uzbekistan comes weeks after The Gambia also linked the deaths of children to cough syrups made by another Indian company. «It was found that deceased children, before hospitalization, took this drug at home for 2-7 days, 3-4 times a day, between 2.5 and 5 ml, which exceeds the standard dose of the drug for children. children» reads the statement of the Uzbek ministry, specifying that the tablets and the Dok-1 Max syrup – this is the name of the offending drug – have been sold in the country since 2012. However, the official statement does not specify the period of time in which they check the deaths. On Dec. 26, news website Podrobno.uz reported that 21 children – 15 of them under the age of three – were being treated for acute kidney failure “allegedly caused by Indian-made cough syrup Dok-1 Max between September and December.
Six days ago, BBC Monitoring reported, citing the Gazeta.uz news website, that Uzbek authorities were investigating “a claim that 15 children have died in the central Samarkand region in the past two months after taking a syrup for cough produced in India». In response, the Indian health ministry said its officials had been “in regular contact with Uzbekistan’s national drug regulatory authority on the matter” since December 27. In addition, health officials conducted an inspection of Marion Biotech’s Noida, Uttar Pradesh facility. “Samples of the offending cough syrup were taken from the manufacturing premises and sent to the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, Chandigarh for testing,” the New Delhi ministerial source added.
ANI news agency quoted a Marion Biotech executive over the drug company temporarily halting production of the syrup and the government has opened an investigation. Marion Biotech is based in Noida, near the Indian national capital Delhi. Its website is currently down, but the company’s LinkedIn page says it was founded in 1999 and its products are “household names in the countries of Central Asia, Central and Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.” . Last October, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised a global alert and linked four Indian-made cough syrups to the deaths of 66 children from kidney injuries in The Gambia. He said tests on samples of the syrup showed they contained unacceptable amounts of the toxic substances, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Both the Indian government and Maiden Pharmaceuticals have denied the allegations. India said in early December that tests of the four syrups showed they met specifications and a government official told the BBC the WHO had been “presumptuous” in blaming the syrups.
Last week, a parliamentary committee in The Gambia recommended suing Maiden Pharmaceuticals after weeks of investigations and banning all of the company’s products in the country. As per the tragic reports from Uzbekistan, the deaths of children in The Gambia have been linked to Indian-made cough mixtures mixed with high amounts of ethylene glycol or diethylene glycol, both toxic substances with the former being found, among other things , in the antifreeze. Indian laws require all manufacturers to adhere to strict quality control and manufacturing practices. Countries like Vietnam and Indonesia have in the past banned Indian-made products due to substandard medicines. The US Food and Drugs Administration has also banned some Indian-made medicines over quality control issues.