WHO Warns Against 3 Indian 'Toxic' Cough Syrups Linked To Children's Deaths In Madhya Pradesh
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified three such syrups manufactured in India as toxic weeks after the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly after consumption of an adulterated cough syrup.
The WHO has also urged authorities to report back to the health agency in case they detect any of them in their countries. As per a report, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) reportedly informed the WHO that the syrups contained toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, which were consumed by children, all under the age of five, leading to their death.
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The WHO has issued a global alert on these products based on the information provided by Indian authorities regarding the drug’s potential export to other nations. However, the Indian health authority also clarified that none of the contaminated medicines were exported from India, and the US also confirmed that the toxic cough syrups weren’t shipped to them.
Following the death of the at least 24 children who consumed the drugs, the authorities in India have completely revoked the manufacturing license of Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu.
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The pharmaceutical firm’s owners were also arrested as lab tests had found the use of diethylene glycol (DEG), a chemical historically associated with mass poisoning incidents, in the syrup.
