None of the four cough syrups — Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup — being linked to the death of 66 children in the Gambia is available for sale in India, said the All India Organisation of Chemists and Distributors (AIOCD).
The group said it had assured the Drug Controller of India that in case these drugs were in the Indian market, their supply would be halted immediately.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning on Wednesday about these drugs manufactured by the Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals following which the Indian Government initiated a probe and the results are expected later this week. The Indian Government will also look at where else these medicines have been exported and the importing countries typically test such products before allowing their use.
‘No response’
Despite multiple attempts by The Hindu, there was no response from the manufacturers on the allegations.
“Maiden Pharmaceutical Limited has no presence in the Indian domestic market and they only export their products,’’ said Rajeev Singhal, general secretary, AIOCD. He said Indian distributors had been alerted on Thursday about the adverse effect of the drug “and have been cautioned against any possible availability or distribution of these in any part of the country.’’
WHO had mentioned that all the four ‘contaminated’ medicines manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd may have been distributed elsewhere through informal markets but it had only been identified in the Gambia.
“Laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants,” the WHO said in a medical product alert. It added that the ingredients can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and severe renal injury.
Pawan Kumar, paediatrician, Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said diethylene glycol is used as an illegal adulterant in medications and can result in renal and neurological toxicity.
“Because of its toxicity, it is not allowed in food or drugs. But because of its solubility, some drug makers have inappropriately substituted it for nontoxic ingredients such as glycerine in pharmaceuticals such as cough syrups and acetaminophen. Acute kidney failure is the number one cause of death in poisoning cases, and it starts between 8 to 24 hours after exposure to lethal doses of substance. If people don’t get treatment, symptoms progress to multi-organ failure in two to seven days,’’ he said.
