After the Gambia incident, the now Uzbekistan Health Ministry has claimed that 18 children have died after consuming cough syrup manufactured by India's Noida-based Marion Biotech companies.
The ministry said 18 out of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while suffering from an acute respiratory disease died after consuming it.
As per the ministry, 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 LLC, the ministry said in its statement released on Tuesday.
Ethylene Glycol is a toxic substance found in industrial-grade glycerine and is not permitted for medicinal purposes. Consuming ethylene glycol can lead to convulsions and renal failure. The substance affects the circulatory system and causes vomiting, among other things.
In a statement, Uzbekistan Health Ministry said, “We reported the occurrence of side effects in children as a result of taking the drug Doc-1 Max in the city of Samarkand."
“Tablets and syrup Doc-1 Max manufactured by the Indian company “Marion Biotech Pvt. Ltd" in our country was registered in 2012 and went on sale in the same year. According to the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry, each drug series was tested with the subsequent issuance of a certificate of conformity. This drug was imported into our country by Quramax Medical LLC," the official statement said.
“To date, 18 out of 21 children with acute respiratory disease have died as a result of taking Doc-1 Max syrup," it added.
However, the Union Health Ministry did not immediately respond to queries.