Eighteen children have reportedly died in Uzbekistan after consuming a cough syrup that was manufactured in India. The Uzbek health ministry said that 21 children had fallen sick after taking the Dok-1 Max syrup manufactured by India's Marion Biotech Pvt. Ltd based out of Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary reports have shown the presence of "ethylene glycol" in it.
"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, lethargy, seizures, cardiovascular problems and acute kidney failure," a rough translation of the ministry's statement read.
Uzbekistan's health ministry statement said that all those responsible had been fired and the cough syrup had been sent for testing.
India too has launched a probe into the incident and samples have been sent for testing. The manufacturing of the syrup has been suspended till reports are received, NDTV reported.
Here is all you need to know about the incident:
What has Uzbekistan said?
While a probe has been initiated, the Uzbek health ministry has said that the children were given the syrup at home in combination with other drugs for nearly a week. "The deceased children took this drug together with other drugs at home for 2-7 days, up to 2.5-5 milliliters 3-4 times a day. Naturally, this amount is much more than the norm for a child," it said.
They were given the syrup "without a doctor's prescription." The ministry said that since the main substance in the drug was paracetamol, it was given to children as an anti-cold remedy either independently or on the "recommendation of pharmacists."
The stocks of Doc-1 Max tablets and syrup have been withdrawn from all pharmacies in Uzbekistan. Further action will be taken based on the lab reports of the syrup, Uzbekistan's health ministry has said, while parents have been warned against the use of this medicine.
What has India said?
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is in touch with the drug regulator in Uzbekistan. He said that a joint inspection of Marion Biotech's Noida facility was carried out by UP Drug Control and the CDSCO team. "Further action as appropriate would be initiated based on the inspection report," Mandaviya said.
The samples have been sent to Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory in Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, the legal head of the pharma company Hasan Raza informed that appropriate action will be taken after lab reports of the samples. "We regret deaths, the government is conducting the inquiry. We will take action as per the report. Samples were collected. Manufacturing of that product has been halted as of now and other processes are underway," Raza was quoted as saying by the ANI.
Earlier in October, another Indian pharma company had landed in trouble after the World Health Organisation issued an alert over the use of four cough syrups manufactured by the company. WHO said that the pediatric cough syrups manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited in Haryana would potentially harm the health of those consuming the product, and could be linked to the death of 66 children in The Gambia.
The WHO said that the four products, all meant for children, contained "unacceptable amounts" of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. This was found after laboratory tests of samples of all the products. Diethylene glycol-contaminated medicines have been an issue for years. Such medicines have caused deaths in India, Panama, Bangladesh, Nigeria and the United States as well.
Diethylene glycol can cause renal failure, affect the liver and the central nervous system and even be fatal. Diethylene glycol is a derivative of ethylene glycol, which also has similar effects on the human body when ingested.