NEW DELHI/TASHKENT – India has suspended manufacturing at a pharmaceutical firm primarily based close to New Delhi whose cough syrup was linked to the dying of 19 youngsters in Uzbekistan, India’s well being minister stated on Friday.
Uzbekistan stated this week that at the least 18 youngsters had died within the southeastern metropolis of Samarkand after consuming Marion Biotech’s Dok-1 Max syrup. On Thursday, Uzbek media reported a nineteenth sufferer, a one-year-old youngster, within the close by area of Qashqadaryo.
Uzbekistan’s well being ministry had stated the syrup contained a poisonous substance, ethylene glycol, and was administered in doses greater than the usual dose for youngsters, both by their dad and mom, who mistook it for an anti-cold treatment, or on the recommendation of pharmacists.
Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated all manufacturing had been suspended at Marion Biotech’s unit in Noida, exterior Delhi.
“All manufacturing activities of Marion Biotech at Noida unit have been stopped yesterday night, while further investigation is ongoing,” Mandaviya wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Hasan Harris, Marion’s authorized head, informed Reuters associate ANI that the corporate had halted manufacturing of all medicines because it awaited a authorities report on the inspection.
Neither Marion nor the well being ministry responded to Reuters requests for touch upon media reviews that inspectors had discovered some deviation from guidelines on manufacturing at one of many agency’s manufacturing models.
Uzbekistan has taken authorized motion towards a Marion consultant there and has ordered all pharmacies to withdraw the Dok-1 Max tablets and syrups.
Uzbek news web site uzdaily.uz on Friday reported that gross sales of all Marion medicines had been quickly suspended.
India is named the “pharmacy of the world” and has doubled its pharmaceutical exports over the past decade, touching $24.5 billion within the final fiscal 12 months, thanks largely to the manufacture of vaccines.
The Uzbekistan case follows deaths of at the least 70 youngsters in Gambia {that a} parliamentary committee had linked to cough and chilly syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
The firm denied any wrongdoing and Indian authorities inspectors discovered no contamination in take a look at samples of cough syrups linked to deaths in Gambia and stated they met authorities requirements.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated in a press release that he had sacked the pinnacle of the nation’s Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency.
“The deaths of children in Samarkand and Qashqadaryo showed the state of affairs in the field, the lack of control,” he stated “All the officials who allowed this will answer according to the law.” — Reuters
