African country’s health authorities discovered an increase in acute renal failure cases in children under 5 who had used cough syrup
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global warning on Wednesday about four Indian-made cough syrups that could be linked to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia. As explained by the agency’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the New Delhi-based marketing company Maiden Pharmaceuticals did not offer sufficient safety guarantees.
The WHO identified the drugs as promethazine oral solution, Kofexmalin infant cough syrup, Makoff brand cough syrup, and Magrip N cold syrup. All four products were identified in The Gambia, but “may have been distributed to other countries or regions through informal markets”, the WHO added in the warning published on its website.
The WHO intervention came after Gambian medical authorities discovered an increase in cases of acute renal failure in children under 5 in late July. The Gambian government has since discontinued the use of all paracetamol syrups and has urged people to take the drug in pill form instead. Deaths have fallen since the ban, but two more have been recorded in the past two weeks.
Indian authorities have also launched an investigation, Reuters reported yesterday, citing two health ministry sources. The Indian government has asked WHO to make public the evidence linking the deaths of minors to drugs manufactured in the country and has stated that it will “take whatever steps the situation requires”.
Source: La Verdad
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