The Gambia has launched an urgent campaign to recall the cough medicine believed to have killed more than 60 children from kidney injuries in the small West African country. The event that shocked the country of 2.4 million people.
The deaths of 66 children from acute kidney injury prompted the World Health Organization to issue an alert regarding four medicines after the agency was notified of the matter in September 2022.
It was found that these drugs do not meet the required standards, both in terms of quality and specifications, and therefore are considered to be “against specifications”.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, indicated during a media meeting that the four drugs are used for coughs and colds, and are likely associated with acute kidney injury and 66 deaths among children.
These medicines used to combat coughs and colds are: Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Infant Cough Syrup, Makoff Infant Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
So far, contaminated medicines have only been discovered in The Gambia and may have been distributed to other countries. Ghebreyesus stressed that the organization is continuing its investigation with the company and relevant authorities in India and also recommends that all countries disclose these products and withdraw them from the market to avoid further harm to patients.
The Gambia Medical Research Council also issued a warning saying: “A girl with this condition (acute kidney injury) was hospitalized … Unfortunately she died. It has been shown that she took one of the drugs suspected of causing her condition which is purchased from a pharmacy. Within the Gambia, the drug has been identified as containing a large amount of a toxin that irreversibly destroys the kidneys. “
Ghebreyesus pointed out that laboratory analyzes of the samples taken from the four medical products contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.
health risks
Organic compounds diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol lead to poisoning.
Their toxic effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to urinate, headache, altered mental status, and severe kidney injury that can lead to death.
In a statement, the organization indicated that all of these products should be considered unsafe until the relevant national regulatory authorities can analyze them. and that the use of these products, particularly by children, can cause serious injury or death.
