The Ministry of Health said that importing countries often test such products before allowing them to be used.
New Delhi:
On Thursday, the Department of Health said samples of cough syrup issued by the World Health Organization linked to the deaths of dozens of children in the Gambia have been sent for testing, the Department of Health said on Thursday, emphasizes that these products are made for export only and are not sold in India.
The ministry said samples of the same batch produced by Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals for all four drugs have been sent to the lab for testing and the results will “guide further action and provide clear about the input received/received. from those.”
Asking WHO to share reports on the “causal relationship leading to death to the health products in question”, the ministry said it was importing countries that normally test such products before allowing their use. use.
The death of 66 children in the West African country is a blow to India’s image as a “world pharmacy” that supplies medicines to all continents, especially Africa.
The WHO on Wednesday said laboratory analysis of four Maiden products – Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup – confirmed levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which contained levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. lead and toxicity are “unacceptable” to acute kidney injury.
Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are used in antifreeze and brake fluids and other industrial applications but are also a cheaper substitute in some pharmaceutical products.
Anil Vij, the health minister of Haryana, where Maiden has the factory, warned of “severe action if anything is found wrong” following the inspections.
Naresh Kumar Goyal, a director of Maiden, told Reuters news agency that they had heard of the deaths only on Thursday morning and were trying to find out the details.
“We’re trying to figure out the situation because it just happened today,” he said by phone. “We’re trying to find out with the buyer and what exactly happened. We don’t sell anything in India.” He declined to say more.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Wednesday that the UN agency was investigating deaths from acute kidney injury with India’s drug regulator and drug maker.
The agency notified India’s Narcotics Control-General of the deaths late last month, after which the regulator opened an investigation with state agencies in tandem with the WHO.
Maiden, which commenced operations in November 1990, manufactures and exports syrup only to Gambia, the Indian Ministry of Health said. Maiden on its website says it has two manufacturing plants, in Kundli and Panipat, both near New Delhi in Haryana, and has recently set up another.
Maiden has an annual production capacity of 2.2 million bottles of syrup, 600 million capsules, 18 million injections, 300,000 ampoules of ointment, and 1.2 billion tablets.
Maiden on its website says it sells its products at home and exports to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, although Goyal says it doesn’t currently sell in India.
