NEW DELHI
\nIndia is testing samples of cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals for exports after the World Health Organisation said its products were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, the country\u2019s health ministry said on Thursday.
\nThe deaths of 66 children in the West African country is a blow to India\u2019s image as a \u201cpharmacy of the world\u201d that supplies medicines to all continents, especially Africa.
\nThe WHO on Wednesday said laboratory analysis of four Maiden products \u2014 Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup \u2014 had confirmed \u201cunacceptable\u201d amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can be toxic and lead to acute kidney injury.
\nDiethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are used in antifreeze and brake fluids and other industrial applications but also as a cheaper alternative in some pharmaceutical products.
\nIndia\u2019s health ministry said samples of the same batch manufactured by Maiden for all four drugs has been sent for testing to a federal laboratory and the results would \u201cguide further course of action as well as bring clarity on the inputs received\/to be received from WHO.\u201d
\nIt asked the WHO to share its report on \u201cestablishment of causal relation to death with the medical products in question.\u201d The WHO did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
\nAnil Vij, the health minister of Haryana state where Maiden has its factories, warned of \u201cstrict action if anything is found wrong\u201d after the tests.
\nNaresh Kumar Goyal, a Maiden director, said that it heard about the deaths only on Thursday morning and were trying to find out details.
\n\u201cWe are trying to find out the situation because it cropped up only today,\u201d he said by phone. \u201cWe are trying to find out with the buyer and all that what has happened exactly. We are not selling anything in India.\u201d He declined to speak further.
\nWHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Wednesday that the UN agency was investigating the deaths from acute kidney injuries with India\u2019s drug regulator and the drug maker.
\nThe agency informed the Drugs Controller General of India of the deaths late last month after which the regulator launched an investigation with state authorities in tandem with the WHO.
\nMaiden, which launched its operations in November 1990, manufactured and exported the syrup only to Gambia, the Indian health ministry 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 one.
\nMaiden has an annual production capacity of 2.2 million syrup bottles, 600 million capsules, 18 million injections, 300,000 ointment tubes and 1.2 billion tablets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI India is testing samples of cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals for exports after the World Health Organisation said its products were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, the country\u2019s health ministry said on Thursday. The deaths of 66 children in the West African country is a blow to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-288058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n