cough syrup - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

India pledges ‘appropriate action’ after completing cough syrup bribe probe

INDIA will take "appropriate action" after completing an investigation into a complaint that a drug regulator helped switch samples of cough syrup linked to the death of children in Gambia in return for a bribe, two officials said. The World Health Organization (WHO) linked the syrups made by India's Maiden Pharmaceuticals to the deaths of 70 children in 2022, though India's government said subsequent tests at an Indian government laboratory showed the syrups were not toxic. Maiden, whose factory is based in Haryana state, denies wrongdoing. Reuters reported in June last year that a lawyer named Yashpal accused Haryana's drug controller, Manmohan…

Dec

2023

By SHIVAM PATEL

India finds quality issues with cough syrup linked to Cameroon deaths – sources

NEWS

IMDIAN tests of a cough syrup linked to the deaths of at least six children in Cameroon have found unidentified quality issues in at least one of the five samples picked up by authorities, two people familiar with the investigation told Reuters. Riemann Labs is one of three Indian drugmakers whose cough syrups have been linked to the deaths of at least 141 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since the middle of last year. That has cast a shadow on the quality of exports from India, often dubbed the "world's pharmacy" due to its supply of life-saving drugs at…

Oct

2023

By KRISHNA N. DAS and SUMIT KHANNA

India finds two more toxic syrups months after poisoning deaths

NEWS

INDIA'S drug regulator has found that a cough syrup and an anti-allergy syrup made by Norris Medicines are toxic, according to a government report, months after Indian-made cough syrups were linked to 141 children's deaths worldwide. The medicines were contaminated either with diethylene glycol (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG), the same contaminants found in the cough syrups that caused the deaths in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since the middle of last year. This is the first time in at least two years that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has flagged any DEG and EG contamination in its monthly reports as the country tries…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Cough syrup death scandal: mystery middleman emerges

NEWS

KRISHNA N. DAS and JENNIFER RIGBY AN unnamed middleman in Mumbai provided a crucial raw material used in Indian-made cough syrups that have been linked to the deaths of more than 70 children in Gambia, a chemicals trader involved in the supply chain told Reuters. The World Health Organization said last year the syrups, made by Indian manufacturer Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd, contained lethal toxins ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG) – used in car brake fluid. These ingredients can be used by unscrupulous actors as a substitute for propylene glycol (PG), which is a key base of syrupy medicines…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Cough syrup can harm children: experts warn of contamination risks

HEALTH

THE recent deaths of over 300 children in Africa and Asia have prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn about the use of “substandard and falsified” medical products. The organisation called for more efforts to protect children from contaminated medicine. Toxicologists Winston Morgan and Shazma Bashir unpack the story. Authors WINSTON MORGAN, Professor of Toxicology, Equity and Inclusive Practice, Director of Impact and Innovation, University of East London SHAZMA BASHIR, Postdoctoral fellow, University of East London What caused the WHO to issue these warnings? Over the last five months, the WHO has issued three alerts warning people not to…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Vitamins and supplements: what you need to know before taking them

HEALTH

IF you were to open your medicine cabinet right now, there’s a fair chance that you’d find at least one bottle of vitamins alongside the painkillers, plasters and cough syrup. After all, people are definitely buying vitamins: in 2020, the global market for complementary and alternative medicines, which includes multivitamin supplements, had an estimated value of US$82.27 billion. The use of natural health products such as minerals and amino acids has increased – and continues to rise, partly driven by consumers’ buying habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors NEELAVENI PADAYACHEE, Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Gambia says child deaths linked to cough syrup have risen to 70

NEWS

GAMBIA'S government said the number of child deaths from acute kidney injury, thought to be linked to Indian-made cough syrups, has risen to 70 from a previous toll of 69. President Adama Barrow gave the update at an emergency cabinet meeting which he convened on Thursday to discuss the crisis, according to a presidency statement. The syrups were found to be made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which has since had one of its factories shut down in northern India as health authorities there investigate. The statement said that the Gambia is also investigating the deaths and this week set up…