4-member expert team to probe WHO claims formed

The Central Government on Wednesday formed a four-member expert committee to investigate the report sent by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the deaths of 66 children in Gambia by consumption of cough syrups from Sonipat-based company Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, said official sources.

“Government is alert and formed a committee. Production of cough syrups by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd has been suspended, and lab report is awaited. Four-member expert committee has been formed to investigate the report sent by WHO,” official sources told ANI. A committee comprising technical experts Dr YK Gupta, Vice Chairperson, Standing National Committee on Medicines (chair); Dr Pragya Yadav, ICMR -NIV, Pune; Dr Arti Bahl, Division of epidemiology, NCDC, New Delhi and AK Pradhan, JDC(I), CDSCO has been formed.

According to the reports, Atlanta-based Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd which has permission to export medicines to Gambia, ordered combined syrups bottles which were purchased from Maiden Pharmaceuticals limited.

“From the preliminary inquiry of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), it has been made out that Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a manufacturer licensed by the State Drug Controller for the product’s Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby cough syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup under reference, and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only,” the sources said.

The company has manufactured and exported these products only to Gambia.

“It is a usual practice that the importing country tests such imported medicines on quality parameters, and satisfies itself as to the quality of the products before the importing country decides to release such products for usage in the country. In the present case, it is yet not clear whether these medicines were tested in Gambia before release,” the sources added. The WHO has informed that as per the tentative results received by WHO, out of the 23 samples of the products under reference which were tested, four samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol or Ethylene glycol.