More Indian Cough Medication Under WHO Scanner
The Wire Staff
Real journalism holds power accountable
Since 2015, The Wire has done just that.
But we can continue only with your support.
New Delhi: More Indian cough and fever medications are under scrutiny by the WHO as member countries raise concerns over contamination or substandard medications, the Economic Times reported.
"To date this situation has impacted more than 20 products with two countries of origin (India & Indonesia) and more than 15 different manufacturers," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told the Economic Times.
WHO said that the investigations are underway in impacted countries, although a link has not been established yet. All the products are syrup-based such as paracetamol, cough medicine, and vitamins, the report said.
The agency, without revealing the manufacturers’ name, said that Indian authorities should be contacted to understand the details of the investigation they may be doing.
The global health body also said that it is aware of media reports naming potentially contaminated syrups from countries other than India and Indonesia and is taking all reports of substandard/falsified medical products very seriously. "While investigations are ongoing, WHO has not expanded its list of medical product alerts. This may change as we receive more information," Harris added.
WHO issues medical product alerts cautiously after due diligence and receiving actionable information from impacted countries, the Economic Times report said.
The global health body looks at laboratory test results and bioavailability data that identifies product, batches, dates of manufacture, manufacturer or distributor and the market where the product was acquired.
Contaminated medicines were first reported between July and October last year in The Gambia, followed by Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Micronesia & The Marshall Islands, prompting WHO medical product alerts, the report said.
Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Noida-based Marion Biotech, and Punjab-based QP Pharmachem and its marketer Haryana-based Trillium Pharma were mentioned in WHO’s medical product alerts for unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG) as contaminants in their cough and cold medications.
DEG and EG are toxic to humans. Maiden’s cough syrup has been linked to the death of hundreds of children in Gambia while Marion’s syrup was at the centre of the controversy in Uzbekistan.
The Indian drug regulator has shut down operations and cancelled the licences of both the companies, the Economic Times reported.
This article went live on June twenty-second, two thousand twenty three, at zero minutes past one in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.