Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya directed the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to initiate an investigation into the matter, which follows a similar controversy over the deaths of 66 children in Gambia.
Uzbekistan’s health ministry said on its website, “We reported the occurrence of side effects in children as a result of taking the drug Doc-1 Max in the city of Samarkand. Tablets and syrup Doc-1 Max manufactured by the Indian company ’Marion Biotech Pvt. Ltd’ in our country were registered in 2012 and went on sale in the same year. To date, 18 out of 21 children with acute respiratory disease have died as a result of taking Doc-1 Max syrup."
Preliminary studies showed that this series of Doc-1 Max syrup contained ethylene glycol, it said, adding, “This substance is toxic, and about 1-2 ml/kg of a 95% concentrated solution can cause serious changes in the patient’s health, such as vomiting, fainting, convulsions, cardiovascular problems and acute kidney failure."“Currently, tablets and syrups of the drug Doc-1 Max are withdrawn from sale in all pharmacies of the country," it said. Calls made to a Marion Biotech landline number posted on LinkedIn remained unanswered.
The incident comes close on the heels of a similar case in Gambia, where deaths of 66 children were linked to consumption of India-made cough syrup.
