18 children dead in Uzbekistan after consuming India-made syrup, ministry says - CNN

At slightest 18 children person died successful Uzbekistan aft consuming a medicinal syrup manufactured by Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech, according to the Uzbek Health Ministry.

The ministry said 18 retired of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup portion suffering from an acute respiratory illness died aft consuming it. It is marketed connected the company’s website arsenic a attraction for acold and flu symptoms.

A batch of the syrup contained ethylene glycol, which the ministry said was a toxic substance. The syrup was imported into Uzbekistan by Quramax Medical, the ministry said successful its connection released Tuesday.

It besides said the syrup was fixed to children astatine location without a doctor’s prescription, either by their parents oregon connected the proposal of pharmacists, with doses that exceeded the modular dose for children.

It was not instantly wide whether each oregon immoderate of the children had consumed the fishy batch oregon had consumed much than the modular dose, oregon both.

Marion Biotech, Quramax Medical and India’s Health Ministry did not instantly respond to a Reuters petition seeking comment. An Indian authorities root told Reuters the Health Ministry was looking into the matter.

India had connected Tuesday launched an inspection of immoderate cause factories crossed the state to guarantee precocious prime standards.

The Uzbek incidental follows a akin 1 successful The Gambia, wherever the deaths of astatine slightest 70 children were blamed connected cough and acold syrups made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals. Both India’s authorities and the institution person denied the medicines were astatine fault.

India is known arsenic the “pharmacy of the world” and its pharmaceuticals exports person much than doubled implicit the past decennary to $24.5 cardinal successful the past fiscal year.

The Uzbek Health Ministry said it had dismissed 7 employees for negligence for not analyzing the deaths successful a timely mode and not taking the indispensable measures. It said it had taken disciplinary measures against immoderate “specialists,” without specifying what relation the specialists had.

It is besides withdrawing the Doc-1 Max tablets and syrups from each pharmacies.