Maiden Pharma cough syrup scandal: What happened in Gambia?
Summary
Police investigations found that four syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd are linked to the death of 69 children in the West African country.
A preliminary investigation conducted by the police in Gambia found links between the death of 69 children in the West African country from acute kidney injury to four cough syrups manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical company.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert over the four brands of Indian Maiden Pharmaceuticals after its investigators found ‘unacceptable’ levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol in the cough syrups.
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How did it end up in Gambia?
The four products — Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup – are made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Although the police report did not name Maiden directly, it listed the four products mentioned by the WHO, Reuters reported.
United States-based Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd ordered 50,000 bottles of these cough syrups for export to Gambia, the police report said.
Of these, the Gambian police have quarantined/seized 41,462 contaminated bottles. However, 8,538 bottles remained unaccounted for, the Gambian police said in a statement, adding that investigations were ongoing.
What happened in Gambia?
In July, doctors in Gambia noticed that a number of children started showing symptoms of kidney failure after consuming locally-sold paracetamol syrup used to treat fevers. Gambian authorities started probing the issue in September. The government said kidney injuries led to the death of 69 children.
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“We are all victims of the malpractice from manufacturers,” Reuters quoted Gambian health minister Ahmad Lamin Samateh as saying, last week. He said that the government was taking action against manufacturers in India.
Production halted
Meanwhile, Maiden Pharmaceuticals said these syrups were exported to Gambia only. Indian health authorities have stopped all production of the company at its Haryana unit following the WHO report. Inspections were conducted in Maiden’s manufacturing facility in Sonipat four times this month. On October 11, the authorities said all manufacturing activities had been suspended after they found the firm had been manufacturing and testing drugs in violation of rules, Al Jazeera reported.
Problems galore
Although Maiden Pharmaceuticals claims that it follows internationally recognised quality-control standards, official records show it was blacklisted in Bihar in 2011 for selling a syrup that failed to meet local standards. The company faced charges from the Drug Controller General of India in 2018 for violating quality control standards. In 2020, the company failed a quality-control test in Jammu and Kashmir and in Kerala, it failed quality-control tests four times in 2022.
Maiden Pharmaceuticals is also among nearly 40 Indian pharmaceutical firms that have been blacklisted by Vietnam for exporting sub-standard products.
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