Indian authorities reportedly investigating cough syrups linked to deaths of 66 children

Four lakh people have lost their lives because of adverse reactions from medicines in India, and late last year, three children in Delhi died after consuming cough syrup prescribed by Mohalla clinics. Now alarming reports about an India-made cough syrup causing the deaths of 66 children have emerged from the African country of Gambia, leading to a probe by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The healthcare body specified that the four cough and cold syrups were manufactured by Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals and urged other countries to remove them from shelves.

Linked to kidney injuries

The four cough syrups reportedly caused a spike in kidney injuries among children under the age of five in July this year, and lab tests revealed an unacceptably high concentration of diethylene glycol in them. An alert has been sent out for governments to detect the distribution of these cough syrups in chemist shops and block their sale.

As per media reports, the Indian government has also stepped in alongside WHO to investigate the company Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which makes the cold and cough syrups that allegedly led to the deaths. They are coordinating with Haryana's regulatory authority for a detailed investigation, since the contaminated medicines were manufactured in Sonepat.

Syrups to stay away from

So far, Maiden Pharma hasn’t responded to queries by media agencies, and its website remains inaccessible. But four syrups, namely Macold Total, KOF-Total, Maidelin and Delormaid are sold by the pharmaceutical firm.

Another similar incident of medicine contamination was reported in Punjab last month, where a sedative was thought to have killed five patients in the state. Last year, drugs with carcinogenic toxins were also found in India, despite being banned in several parts of the world. This year, Micro Labs, which makes Dolo-650, faced allegations of bribing doctors for promoting its usage among patients but dismissed the claims.