Last Update: January 23, 2023, 22:45 IST
It has issued a warning against the use of cough syrup made by Indian firms Marion Biotech and Maiden Pharmaceuticals in connection with the deaths. (Representative image/Shutterstock)
The World Health Organization said in a statement that incidents involving over-the-counter cough syrups for children have been reported in at least seven countries over the past four months.
After the death of more than 300 children from tainted cough syrup, the WHO on Monday called for “urgent and coordinated action” to root out substandard and counterfeit medicines from around the world.
At least seven countries have reported incidents of over-the-counter cough syrup for children in the past four months World The health organization said in a statement.
Three of these countries – Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan – have recorded more than 300 related deaths – it said most of the deaths occurred in “children under the age of five”.
Reported incidents include confirmed or suspected contamination of Indian-made cough syrups with high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
“These pollutants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even in small amounts,” the WHO warned.
He should “never get into drugs”.
The UN health agency first issued an alert in October about child deaths seen in The Gambia, followed by one a month later focused on Indonesia and another earlier this month focused on Uzbekistan.
It has issued a warning against the use of cough syrups made by Indian firms Marion Biotech and Maiden Pharmaceuticals in connection with the deaths.
In its alert, WHO called on countries to boost efforts to detect and remove any contaminated drugs, conduct surveillance within supply chains, and raise the alarm immediately if any substandard products are found.
But on Monday, the UN agency insisted that “these are not isolated incidents”, urging “urgent and coordinated action” by all parties involved in the medical supply chain.
Regulators and governments, he said, should work to identify and remove any substandard medical products identified by the WHO alert.
They should also ensure that all medical products sold in their respective markets are from authorized and licensed suppliers approved for sale by the competent authorities.
Meanwhile, drug manufacturers have a responsibility to “buy only pharmaceutical-grade excipients from genuine suppliers”, WHO said.
They must also keep complete records of their purchases, and “extensively test” any supplies received before using them to make medicine, and issue certificates of analysis certifying a product’s quality.
The WHO said that suppliers and distributors of medical products should, among other things, “always check for signs of falsification” and sell only medicines authorized by the competent authorities.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)