New Delhi: A day after the Uzbekistan government alleged that 18 children have died in the central Asian nation following the consumption of a cough syrup produced by an Indian pharmaceutical firm Marion Biotech, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that all manufacturing activities of Marion Biotech at the Noida unit have been stopped since Thursday night till investigations are complete.
"Following inspection by @CDSCO_INDIA_INF team in view of reports of contamination in cough syrup Dok1 Max, all manufacturing activities of Marion Biotech at NOIDA unit have been stopped yesterday night, while further investigation is ongoing," the Health Minister tweeted. Earlier, speaking to news agency ANI the company's legal head said that production of all medicines is halted as of now till reports of the investigation come up.
"It needs to be found why cases came from a single hospital there. Our products go to other countries as well," Marion Biotech Pharma Company legal head Hasan Harris said to ANI on Friday. Earlier on Saturday, Uzbekistan Health Ministry alleged that the deceased children, before admission to hospital treatment, took this drug at home for 2-7 days 3-4 times a day, 2.5-5 ml, which exceeds the standard dose of the drug for children.
The Union Health Ministry sources did not respond to queries on the incident. They maintained that a file was placed before Health Minister Manuskh Mandaviya, who also heads the Department of Pharmaceuticals as the Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers.
The press statement from the Uzbekistan Health Ministry identifies two factors behind the tragedy; excess doses of the medicine in kids who don't require the drug and contamination of ethylene glycol, one of the two toxic chemicals found in the Gambian case. "Preliminary laboratory studies have shown that this series of Doc-1 Max syrup contains ethylene glycol. This substance is toxic, and about 1-2 ml/kg of a 95% concentrated solution can cause serious changes in the patient's health, such as vomiting, fainting, convulsions, cardiovascular problems and acute kidney failure," Uzbekistan authorities said.
The World Health Organisation in October flagged the presence of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol as toxic contaminants in four cough syrup samples (made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Haryana) that are reportedly linked to the deaths of 70 children in The Gambia. But, this was not the first time EG and DEG were found in cough syrups made in India, as there have been many similar cases in the past with fatal consequences. (With agency inputs)
