After more than 300 children died from adulterated cough syrups, the WHO on Monday called for “immediate and coordinated action” to stamp out substandard and counterfeit medicines.
In the past four months, at least seven countries have reported incidents involving over-the-counter pediatric cough syrups, the World Health Organization said in a statement.
More than 300 deaths have been associated with drug use in three of them: The Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan, it said, adding that most of the deaths were in “children under five years of age.”
First alert issued in October 2022 in The Gambia
The reported incidents involve confirmed or suspected contamination of cough syrups manufactured in India with high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. “These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be deadly even when taken in small amounts,” the WHO warned, adding that they “should never be found in medicines.”
The organization issued an initial alert on child deaths in The Gambia in October, followed by another a month later focused on Indonesia and another earlier this month on Uzbekistan.
He issued warnings against the use of syrups made by Indian companies Marion Biotech and Maiden Pharmaceuticals and urged countries to redouble their efforts to detect and remove any contaminated medicines from circulation, strengthen monitoring within supply chains and raise the alarm in case it happens. the discovery of nonconforming products.
For the WHO, “these are not isolated incidents” and calls for “immediate and coordinated measures.”
“Look for signs of tampering”
Regulators and governments must identify and remove any substandard medical products identified by WHO alerts, and ensure that products come from approved suppliers and are cleared for sale by competent authorities.
Drug manufacturers must “purchase only pharmaceutical grade excipients and only from bona fide suppliers,” the WHO insisted.
They must keep complete records of their purchases, “extensively test” ingredients before using them, and issue certificates attesting to a product’s quality.
Finally, according to the WHO, suppliers and distributors of medical products must “always look for signs of counterfeiting” and only sell medicines authorized by the competent authorities.
Source: BFM TV
