What's new

WHO links Gambia deaths to India-made cough syrups

Dalit

ELITE MEMBER
Joined
Mar 16, 2012
Messages
23,669
Reaction score
-12
Country
Pakistan
Location
Netherlands
The World Health Organization has issued a product alert on four cough syrups made in India, linking them with 66 child deaths in The Gambia.

This came after an investigation into the deaths of children from kidney injuries in the West African country.

The health body is "conducting further investigation" with the firm - Maiden Pharmaceuticals - and Indian authorities.

It has also advised regulators to stop sale of the syrups.

India's health ministry and drugs regulator are yet to officially comment on the WHO's product alert, which it published on its website.

Indian government sources told the BBC on condition of anonymity that India's drug regulator had launched an investigation after it was informed of the issue on 29 September.

The regulator has also asked the WHO to share its report establishing the "causal relation to death with the medical products in question", they said.

The WHO findings, announced by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday, came after samples of each of the four cough syrups were tested. It identified the medicines as Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

The health body said that laboratory analysis had confirmed that the syrups contain "unacceptable amounts" of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are toxic to humans and can prove fatal when consumed.

The WHO said that so far, the products have been identified in The Gambia, but that they may have been distributed to other countries through informal markets.

"All batches of these products should be considered unsafe until they can be analysed by the relevant National Regulatory Authorities," it added.

However, the sources cited above said that the company has exported these cough syrups "only to The Gambia so far".

India produces a third of the world's medicines, mostly in the form of generic drugs.

Home to some of the fastest growing pharmaceutical companies, the country is known as the "world's pharmacy" and meets much of the medical needs of African nations.

Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which is based in the northern state of Haryana, exports its products to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, according to Reuters.

Medical officers in The Gambia first raised the alarm in July after dozens of children were diagnosed with serious kidney problems.

The Gambia's director of health services, Mustapha Bittaye, told Reuters that the number of deaths had gone down in recent weeks and that the country had banned the sale of the products.

"However, until recently, some of the syrups were still being sold in private clinics and in hospitals," he was quoted as saying.


66 children killed due to Indian cough syrups... What could possibly go wrong with Indian pharmaceutical industry.
 
There should be a ban on importing drugs from India. How can they control quality when they are the biggest source of counterfeit medicines?


India remains the main provenance economy of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, being the origin of 53% of the total seized value of counterfeit pharmaceutical products and medicines worldwide in 2016 (compared with 53% for the 2011-2013 period) (Figure 4.6 and OECD/EUIPO, 2017). It was followed by China (30% for the 2014-2016 period versus 33% for the 2011-2013 period), United Arab Emirates (4% in both periods), and Hong Kong (China) (4% versus 3%).
 
The World Health Organization has issued a product alert on four cough syrups made in India, linking them with 66 child deaths in The Gambia.

This came after an investigation into the deaths of children from kidney injuries in the West African country.

The health body is "conducting further investigation" with the firm - Maiden Pharmaceuticals - and Indian authorities.

It has also advised regulators to stop sale of the syrups.

India's health ministry and drugs regulator are yet to officially comment on the WHO's product alert, which it published on its website.

Indian government sources told the BBC on condition of anonymity that India's drug regulator had launched an investigation after it was informed of the issue on 29 September.

The regulator has also asked the WHO to share its report establishing the "causal relation to death with the medical products in question", they said.

The WHO findings, announced by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday, came after samples of each of the four cough syrups were tested. It identified the medicines as Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

The health body said that laboratory analysis had confirmed that the syrups contain "unacceptable amounts" of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are toxic to humans and can prove fatal when consumed.

The WHO said that so far, the products have been identified in The Gambia, but that they may have been distributed to other countries through informal markets.

"All batches of these products should be considered unsafe until they can be analysed by the relevant National Regulatory Authorities," it added.

However, the sources cited above said that the company has exported these cough syrups "only to The Gambia so far".

India produces a third of the world's medicines, mostly in the form of generic drugs.

Home to some of the fastest growing pharmaceutical companies, the country is known as the "world's pharmacy" and meets much of the medical needs of African nations.

Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which is based in the northern state of Haryana, exports its products to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, according to Reuters.

Medical officers in The Gambia first raised the alarm in July after dozens of children were diagnosed with serious kidney problems.

The Gambia's director of health services, Mustapha Bittaye, told Reuters that the number of deaths had gone down in recent weeks and that the country had banned the sale of the products.

"However, until recently, some of the syrups were still being sold in private clinics and in hospitals," he was quoted as saying.


66 children killed due to Indian cough syrups... What could possibly go wrong with Indian pharmaceutical industry.
I once read a report on the BBC. It is reported that cough syrup exported from India contains a large amount of codeine. Codeine is an opium drug, which not only makes people addicted, but also brings heavy burden to the kidney.
 
I once read a report on the BBC. It is reported that cough syrup exported from India contains a large amount of codeine. Codeine is an opium drug, which not only makes people addicted, but also brings heavy burden to the kidney.

Obviously it contains codeine, why do you think we put it ? You never heard of purple drank or the purple? We put it so that teenage kids who cant buy alcohol can enjoy.
 
Obviously it contains codeine, why do you think we put it ? You never heard of purple drank or the purple? We put it so that teenage kids who cant buy alcohol can enjoy.
Okay, I'm waiting for the punchline to this joke...where is the punchline?
 
I once read a report on the BBC. It is reported that cough syrup exported from India contains a large amount of codeine. Codeine is an opium drug, which not only makes people addicted, but also brings heavy burden to the kidney.
Phensedyl cough syrup is banned in Bangladesh since the 1980s.
It was a cheaper way to get stoned for the ones addicted to it.
Up until a few years ago it ( or analogs) used to get smuggled in from India, I don't know what's the present situation though.
 
The World Health Organization has issued a product alert on four cough syrups made in India, linking them with 66 child deaths in The Gambia.

How could the world entrust medicine manufacturing to a people that's been very sloppy and values human lives a lot less than most people in the world?
 
Obviously it contains codeine, why do you think we put it ? You never heard of purple drank or the purple? We put it so that teenage kids who cant buy alcohol can enjoy.

Stop making up excuses. Cough syrup from your country is murdering innocent children in Africa. Have some shame.

Okay, I'm waiting for the punchline to this joke...where is the punchline?

The punchline is that these Hindutvas are African childkillers.
 
Can’t trust medicines in india/Pak…
I always take plenty stock specially for my kids from Canada when we visit.
Too much risk with fake medicines in developing countries
 
Maybe you should start exporting these then, oh wait your country's pharmaceutical prowess ends at Nihari. India remains the largest exporter of generic pharmaceutical and will continue to remain so, you guys who can't manufacture even a medecine holder can keep crying :lol:




Says the guy whose country wiped out 50 million in great leap backward, and then imposed one child policy that prevented god knows how many births, probably like 200 million at least as a conservative estimate. great respect for human life i see :tup:. China is like a cesspit for fake medecines, you guys fake eggs, rice, edible oil, god knows what, you are literally the last person on the planet to be speaking about valuing human lives. Also don't make me post the type of adds you people post regarding black/african people, it will simply derail this thread.


Tens of thousands of people in Africa die each year because of fake and counterfeit medication, an E.U.-funded report released on Tuesday said. The drugs are mainly made in China but also in India, Paraguay, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.







Now why dont you go eat some bat soup and release the next pandemic :lol:
First of all, your article comes from more than ten years ago.

Secondly, the definition of counterfeit drugs in China at that time included generic drugs without patent license. So at that time, most of the counterfeit drugs sold in China were generic drugs from India.

Third, China implemented drug reform in 2017. Many generic drugs are allowed to be sold legally in China. These generic drugs are also legally regulated. So now there are no such so-called "fake drugs" in China.

IMG_20221007_063559.jpg
IMG_20221007_063626.jpg
 
First of all, your article comes from more than ten years ago.

Secondly, the definition of counterfeit drugs in China at that time included generic drugs without patent license. So at that time, most of the counterfeit drugs sold in China were generic drugs from India.

Third, China implemented drug reform in 2017. Many generic drugs are allowed to be sold legally in China. These generic drugs are also legally regulated. So now there are no such so-called "fake drugs" in China.

View attachment 885209View attachment 885210
And which year is the first article that you convenienty ignored?
 
Back
Top Bottom