Gambia Govt says no confirmation yet if Indian-made cough syrups caused death of over 60 kids

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, Nov 03, 2022: The Gambian government has not yet confirmed that “toxic" cough syrup was the reason behind the death of more than 60 children from acute kidney injury in the country. This development in the matter came days after a World Health Organisation (WHO) report potentially linked the death of children in The Gambia to four Indian-made cough syrups.

 

News agency Reuters quoted Tijan Jallow, a representative of the Gambia’s Medicines Control Agency, as saying on Monday that the country has not yet confirmed that the death of children took place due to “toxic cough syrup". “We have not concluded yet it is the medicine that caused it. A good number of kids died without taking any medications. Other kids died. We have tested the medications that they took and they are good," he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, India Today quoted some sources as saying that the postmortem reports of the deceased showed that kids had Escherichia coli (a type of bacteria that is found in intestines) and suffered from diarrhoea. “Then why were they being given a cough syrup," a government official was quoted as saying by the website.

On October 16, India sought more details from the WHO to continue with its probe into the deaths of children in The Gambia allegedly due to four made-in-India cough syrups. A four-member panel of experts set up by the government to probe the matter had observed that the clinical information shared by the WHO so far is inadequate to determine the aetiology.

On October 14, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India is in touch with the Gambia. “That is a very very unfortunate story where children have died reportedly due to spurious drugs," Bagchi had said at a presser when asked about the issue.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also held a telephonic conversation with his Gambian counterpart Mamadou Tangara and conveyed “deepest condolences on the deaths of young children". “In a telecon with Gambian FM Dr. Mamadou Tangara conveyed our deepest condolences on the deaths of young children recently. Underlined that matter is being seriously investigated by appropriate authorities. We agreed to remain in touch," Jaishankar tweeted.

In its defence, Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd had said that they were not selling anything in domestic market. “We have been obtaining raw materials from certified and reputed companies. CDSCO officials have taken samples and we are awaiting the results," it said on October 8.

The WHO had on September 29 informed the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) that they were providing technical assistance and advice to The Gambia, where children have died and where a contributing factor was suspected to be the use of four medicines: Promethazine Oral Solution BP, KOFEXNALIN Baby Cough Syrup, MaKOFF Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup.