Centre forms 4-member expert team to probe WHO claims on Maiden Pharmaceuticals

The Central Government on Wednesday formed a fourmember expert committee to investigate the report sent by the World Health Organisation WHO on the deaths of 66 children in Gambia by consumption of cough syrups from Sonipatbased company Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited said official sourcesGovernment is alert and formed a committee Production of cough syrups by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd has been suspended and lab report is awaited Fourmember expert committee has been formed to investigate the report sent by WHO official sources told ANIA committee comprising technical experts Dr YK Gupta Vice Chairperson Standing National Committee on Medicines chair Dr Pragya Yadav ICMR NIV Pune Dr Arti Bahl Division of epidemiology NCDC New Delhi and AK Pradhan JDCI CDSCO has been formedAccording to the reports Atlantabased Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd which has permission to export medicines to Gambia ordered combined syrups bottles which were purchased from Maiden Pharmaceuticals limitedAlso read Orders issued to halt drug manufacturing at Maiden Pharmas Sonipat unitFrom the preliminary inquiry of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation CDSCO it has been made out that Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a manufacturer licensed by the State Drug Controller for the products Promethazine Oral Solution BP Kofexnalin Baby cough syrup MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup under reference and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only the sources saidThe company has manufactured and exported these products only to GambiaIt is a usual practice that the importing country tests such imported medicines on quality parameters and satisfies itself as to the quality of the products before the importing country decides to release such products for usage in the country In the present case it is yet not clear whether these medicines were tested in Gambia before release the sources addedThe WHO has informed that as per the tentative results received by WHO out of the 23 samples of the products under reference which were tested four samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol or Ethylene glycolWHO has not yet made available a certificate of analysis It has informed that the same will be made available in near future the sources saidThe top officials informed that the exact onetoone causal relation of death has not been provided by WHO to CDSCO although CDSCO has requested WHO twice in this regardEarlier in the day Haryana government has ordered a halt of the total production of cough syrups from Sonipatbased company Maiden Pharmaceuticals LimitedThe company has also been issued a show cause notice for 12 violations found at its manufacturing plantState health minister Anil Vij told ANI on Wednesday The samples of three drugs of the Sonipatbased pharmaceutical company which were mentioned by WHO have been sent to Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata The report is yet to come We will take action only after the report comes After a joint inspection by Central and State officials 12 violations were found in the manufacturing facility It has been decided to shut total production We have sent a notice in this regardThe pharma company had come under scanner following the death of 66 children who had consumed the cough syrup in GambiaWorld Health Organization WHO on October 5 issued a medical product alert over four Indiamade cough and cold syrups manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals WHO has also notified that the same cough and cold syrups could be linked to deaths of 66 children in GambiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever