The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued an alert to all states and union territory licensing authorties against the use of raw materials manufactured by Delhi-based Maya Chemtech India Pvt Ltd which supplied the ingredients for the Marion Biotech produced cough syrups that allegedly led to the deaths of 19 children in Uzbekistan.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had earlier issued a notice to Marion Biotech asking it to stop the sale and distribution of of the two products entangled in the Uzbekistan cough syrup deaths controversy, stating that the sample was found to be "not of standard quality".
According to a report by News18, the alert issued by DGCI, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi stated that, "During the course of the investigation, a total of 33 samples were drawn by drug inspectors of CDSCO NZ RTDL, Chandigarh has now forwarded the test reports of 30 drug samples, wherein 24 samples were declared as not of standard quality and out of these samples 22 samples fall under the category of adulterated/spurious under Section 17A and 17B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (sic)."
He further urged licensing authorities of states to issue directions to all manufacturers not to use proplene glycol supplied by Maya Chemtech.
This incident in Uzbekistan comes months after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an alert for four "contaminated" cough syrups manufactured by an Indian drugmaker, Maiden Pharma, that have been "potentially linked" with acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children in the Gambia.
Three employees of the firm – Tuhin Bhattacharya, head operation; Atul Rawat, manufacturing chemist; and Mool Singh, analytical chemist – were arrested on charges of manufacturing and sale of adulterated drugs after an FIR was lodged. “These people were engaged in preparation and sale of fake drugs which caused serious harm to public," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Rajiv Dixit said.
The FIR listed five officials of Marion Biotech, including two of its directors – Jaya Jain and Sachin Jain – over a complaint by a drugs inspector of the CDSCO, the officials said. However, the directors of the company are at large and a search is underway to apprehend them as they “were endangering human life and human health”, the DCP said.
