India Suspends Production of 4 Cough Syrups After WHO Flagged Death of 66 Kids in Gambia

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning against four Indian-manufactured cough syrups that were found to be contaminated with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. These syrups, according to the WHO, may have killed 66 children. Scores of others were left with acute kidney injuries in Gambia.

The Indian authorities have put a halt on the production of four cough syrups and issued a show cause notice on Wednesday to their manufacturer Maiden Pharmaceuticals after the WHO alerted the countries that the medicine may be linked to the deaths of 66 children in Gambia.

The four Indian-made cough syrups which have come under scrutiny are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

The WHO stated in its alert that the laboratory analysis of these cough syrups contained "unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants" which can be toxic and lead to acute kidney injury.

Haryana State Health Minister Anil Vij told Indian news agency ANI that after the WHO alert, a joint inspection was conducted by India's national drug department and the Haryana state drug department at a Maiden factory near the town of Sonipat and it found 12 flaws in the syrups' manufacturing.

"Samples of three drugs mentioned by the WHO of Sonipat's pharmaceutical company were sent to the Central Drug Lab in Kolkata (West Bengal state). The reports are not in yet, action will be taken after that," Haryana Health Minister Vij told ANI.

Haryana drugs controller said that Maiden Pharmaceuticals could not produce a log book of equipment and instruments used to manufacture and test the drugs in question.

"Maiden did not perform quality testing of propylene glycol, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, while certain batches of propylene glycol did not have the manufacturing and expiry dates," the authorities said.

Diethylene glycol, also known as DEG, is a derivative of ethylene glycol that looks like propylene glycol and glycerin but has harmful effects: it can cause renal failure and affect the liver and central nervous systems.

Some sellers have been found to use it illegally in adulterated medicines and other products as a sweetener or thickening agent.

The use of the toxic component diethylene glycol in pediatric cough syrup has previously left many children ill not just in India but also in Panama, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and the United States.