WHO warns that an Indian cough syrup is contaminated with toxic substances
Economic vertical and horizontal
08.08.2023
The World Health Organization issued a global warning: An Indian-made cough syrup “Cold Out” has been found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals that could cause serious injury or death when used.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday (August 7) issued a global alert on the sale of Indian-made cough syrup “Cold Out” in Iraq. The medicine was found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
The WHO warned: “This substandard product is unsafe and its use, especially by children, may result in serious injury or death.”
This is the fifth such warning against an Indian drugmaker in the past 10 months.
The syrup, which was produced by Fourrts (India) laboratories commissioned by Indian pharmaceutical company Dabilife Pharma, contained higher levels of contaminants than acceptable levels, WHO said.
However, Bala Surendran, the company’s vice president, told Bloomberg last month that production of the drug was subcontracted to another company, and his company found no toxins in samples it reviewed.
The syrup found on the Iraqi market contained 0.25 percent diethylene glycol and 2.1 percent ethylene glycol. The acceptable safe limit for both substances is 0.10%, WHO said.
The WHO added that the manufacturer and seller had failed to assure the WHO of the product’s safety and quality, listing the syrup’s “toxic effects” as “abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to urinate, headache, altered mental status and Acute kidney injury that can lead to death”.
India’s health ministry announced that the drug is now being withdrawn from the market after it failed a separate test in Iraq, Bloomberg reported.
A cough syrup made in India has been linked to the death of at least 89 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan in 2022
India faces series of medical alerts
Cough syrup made by India’s Maiden Pharmaceuticals was linked to the deaths of at least 89 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.
Indian authorities have also found toxins in cough syrup produced by Riemann’s lab that have been linked to the deaths of children in Cameroon.
In March, Marion Biotech, which exports syrup to Uzbekistan, had its license revoked and some employees arrested after 18 children died from the product.
According to the “India Express” report, this year India made it mandatory to test cough syrup before export to prevent such incidents from happening.
©2023 Deutsche Welle Copyright Statement: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special authorization from Deutsche Welle. Any wrongdoing will result in recovery and be subject to criminal prosecution.
#warns #Indian #cough #syrup #contaminated #toxic #substances
2023-08-08 10:55:56