Uzbekistan drug Deaths: India prohibits use of propylene glycol from supplier linked to Uzbekistan deaths

India directed drug producers to cease utilizing propylene glycol sourced from the Delhi-based agency that equipped the ingredient to Marion Biotech, whose cough syrups had been linked to deaths of 19 youngsters in Uzbekistan, in accordance to a authorities doc seen by Reuters.

Uzbekistan stated in December that the kids died after consuming Marion’s cough syrups, Ambronol and DOK-1 Max, which had been contaminated with unacceptable quantities of diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol.

Soon after India suspended the pharmaceutical firm’s manufacturing. Police this month arrested three Marion workers after exams in a authorities laboratory discovered 22 of 36 syrup samples “adulterated and spurious”.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) stated in a letter, despatched to all state licensing authorities on Tuesday, that Delhi-based Maya Chemtech was “primarily” the supplier of the propylene glycol used within the affected batches.

“Accordingly, you might be requested to instruct your enforcement officers to hold strict vigil on the matter and take stringent motion … in opposition to the offenders in public curiosity,” the DCGI stated within the letter.

The firm didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ request for remark.

The Uzbekistan incident got here shut on the heels of the same one in Gambia, the place a parliamentary committee linked the deaths of not less than 70 youngsters to cough and chilly syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.