NEW DELHI: According to the health ministry of Uzbekistan, at least 18 children have died as a result of taking a medicinal syrup made by Indian pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd. The ministry said that 18 of the 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while they were experiencing an acute respiratory condition died as a result of taking it. On the website of the company, it is advertised as a remedy for symptoms of the cold and flu.
The ministry claimed that ethylene glycol, a toxic substance, was present in one batch of the syrup. The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Quramax Medical LLC brought the syrup into Uzbekistan.
In addition, it stated that the syrup was administered to children at home without a doctor’s prescription, either by the children’s parents or on the advice of pharmacists, in doses that were higher than the recommended dosage for children.
It was not immediately clear whether all of the children had consumed the suspect batch, consumed more than the recommended dose, or had consumed both.
India’s health ministry, Marion Biotech, and Quramax Medical did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The health ministry was looking into the issue, according to a government source in India.
India began inspecting drug factories across the country on Tuesday to ensure high-quality standards.
The Uzbek incident comes after a similar one in Gambia, where cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd., based in New Delhi, were blamed for the deaths of at least 70 children. Both the Indian government and the company have denied that the medicines were to blame.
India’s pharmaceutical exports have more than doubled over the past decade, reaching $24.5 billion in the most recent fiscal year. The country is known as the “pharmacy of the world.”
Seven employees were fired for negligence, according to the Uzbek health ministry, for failing to promptly investigate the deaths and take the necessary steps. It stated that it had disciplined some “specialists,” but did not specify the specialists’ roles.
It is additionally pulling out the Doc-1 Max tablets and syrups from all drug stores.
