Indian authorities on Wednesday closed the production plant of the Maiden Pharmaceuticals laboratory in northern India, under investigation after the death of 69 children in Gambia, according to local media.
“We have ordered all drug production in this unit to be stopped with immediate effect,” Haryana state health minister Anil Vij told India’s PTI news agency on Wednesday.
A first inspection of the factory located in the city of Kundli, about 40 km from New Delhi, revealed twelve protocol violations, Anil Vij said.
An “unacceptable number” of contaminants detected
The WHO had warned last week about four cough syrups produced by this laboratory, which could be related to the 69 children who died of kidney failure in Gambia.
A review of the site found “an unacceptable number” of potentially dangerous contaminants, the UN agency said, adding that the drugs may have been distributed outside the West African country.
Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said last week that he had been informed of the WHO’s findings and was awaiting the results of tests carried out by the laboratory on the four syrups in question. According to him, only Gambia has received it. Asked by AFP, the company did not respond.
The laboratory denies any responsibility in the death of the children
For the director of Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Naresh Goyal, the syrups produced by his laboratory are not responsible for this tragedy, he told the Indian newspaper. economic times.
Gambian police announced on Saturday the opening of their own investigation into the children’s deaths.
Maiden Pharmaceuticals had already come to the attention of Indian regulators several times. The Federal Agency for Food and Drug Products had issued four opinions to the laboratory, describing its manufacture as “poor” after testing in batches, according to the agency’s website.
Source: BFM TV
