Uzbekistan claims 18 children dead after consuming India made cough syrup

Uzbekistan has claimed that at least 18 children have lost their lives after allegedly consuming cough syrup made in India. The Health Ministry of Uzbekistan has put out a statement saying that the children who died had consumed cough syrup Dok-1 Max - manufactured by Noida-based Marion Biotech.

The Dok 1 Max syrup and tablets are anti-cold drug. The development brings back the horror of the death of nearly 70 kids in Gambia allegedly because of the consumption of cough syrup made by an Indian pharmaceutical firm.

In its statement, Uzbekistan Health Ministry said that the laboratory tests of a batch of cough syrups found the presence of ethylene glycol - a toxic substance in the preparation. Furthermore, the ministry claimed that the cough syrup was given to children at home without a doctor's prescription, either by their parents or on the advice of pharmacists, with doses that exceeded the standard dose for kids.

The Uzbekistan government has instructed the officials to immediately withdraw all tablets and cough syrups of Dok 1 from the market. As per reports, at least seven health officials have been removed from service and several others are under scrutiny for failing to detect the deaths.

Responding to an email from news agency ANI, seeking further details on the fatalities, the World Health Organisation said, “The WHO is in contact with the health authorities in Uzbekistan and is ready to assist in further investigations.”

As maintained by health experts, cough syrups shouldn’t have even traces of ethylene glycol, which is mostly found in industrial-grade of glycerine that is banned in medicines. Dok 1 manufacturer Marion Biotech also exports to the United Kingdom, Georgia, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

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