India not responsible for Gambia cough syrup deaths? WHO drew ‘early link’ between children deaths, Maiden pharma

The deaths of children in Gambia due to the ingestion of unregulated cough syrup were blamed solely on India and Indian pharmaceutical companies, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) announcing that they drew a “premature link” between the two.

India’s drug regulator has now told the global health agency that drew a premature link between the deaths of children in Gambia and the four India-made cough syrups which adversely impacted the image of the country's pharmaceutical products across the globe.

In the latest letter to Dr Rogerio Gaspar, Director (Regulation and Prequalification) at WHO, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr V G Somani said a statement issued by the global health body was heavily circulated by global media, which had great implications on the image of Indian pharmaceutical companies.

The DCGI said that the circulation of the news that cough syrup manufactured in India led to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia spread a false narrative against the country, defaming several Indian pharmaceutical companies and distributors.

The DCGI said the Gambia has informed, according to media, that there has been no direct causal relation established yet between the cough syrup consumption and the deaths, and that certain children who had died had not consumed the syrup in question.

In the letter, Mr Somani said the samples of four made-in-India cough syrups linked to the deaths of 66 children in Gambia which were tested in a government laboratory here were found to be complying with specifications and not to have been contaminated with DEG or EG according to the test reports.

The deaths of 66 children in Gambia were pinned on a Haryana pharmaceutical agency called Maiden Pharmaceutical, which was linked with manufacturing the four “deadly” cough syrups. While the reports hinted that the ingestion of cough syrup led to the deaths of the children, DCGI has released a report which states otherwise.

(With PTI inputs)

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