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A disturbing report by The Economic Times has revealed that over 100 <keyword id="21300086" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cough-syrup" source="keywords">cough syrup</keyword> samples manufactured in India failed quality control tests. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (<keyword id="20109095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CDSCO" source="keywords">CDSCO</keyword>) analysed over 7,000 batches of cough syrup, finding that 353 did not meet quality standards. The reasons for these failures are particularly concerning. Nine batches contained di<keyword id="21957039" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ethylene-glycol" source="keywords">ethylene glycol</keyword> (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG), toxins previously linked to the deaths of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon. These toxins can cause serious health problems, including vomiting, convulsions, circulatory issues, and acute kidney failure. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="94675384" title="Indian drug regulator kicks off probe on cough syrup linked to deaths of Gambian children" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>What are <keyword id="15176477" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diethylene-glycol" source="Orion">diethylene glycol</keyword> and ethylene glycol?</h2>For the unversed, DEG is a colourless, odourless and sweetish chemical. It is also a common industrial liquid used in many products, like antifreeze, car brakes, wallpaper removal solutions and in making fabrics and dyes. Similarly, EG is also a colourless and odourless alcoholic compound with a sweet-tasting and syrupy composition. It has known applications as an automotive antifreeze and as a raw material for manufacturing polyester fibres. It is also usually present in products like hydraulic brake fluids, stamp pad inks, ballpoint pens, solvents, paints, cosmetics and plastics. However, cough syrup manufacturers sometimes use EG and DEG as a replacement to non-toxic solvents like glycerine or propylene glycol simply because they are cheaper. Unfortunately, swallowing DEG and EG can be very dangerous. If someone drinks it, it can cause serious problems throughout their body and nervous system, leading to coma, seizures, nerve damage, and even liver and kidney failure, as per the CDC. <h2>Who is responsible?</h2>According to The Economic Times, the CDSCO blames unsecured supply chains and inadequate testing for the presence of these toxins. This news comes after a series of global alerts issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022 regarding cough syrups manufactured in India that were linked to the deaths of over 140 children worldwide. The first alert came in October 2022, when the WHO flagged four cough syrups produced by Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals. Authorities in Gambia linked these medications to 66 deaths, primarily from acute kidney failure. In December 2022, the WHO recommended avoiding two cough syrups made by Marion Biotech after Uzbekistan reported 18 child deaths linked to their Dok 1 Max syrup. Most recently, in August 2023, the WHO issued another alert for a batch of Indian common cold syrup found to contain unacceptable levels of DEG and EG as contaminants. This marked the fifth such alert issued by the WHO since 2022 regarding Indian-made cough syrups. <h2>CDSCO considers waiving testing requirement before exploring cough syrups</h2>The discovery of toxic components in something that’s as commonly sold as cough syrup should have prompted authorities to tighten texting processes. However, the apex drugs regulatory authority, is reportedly examining stakeholders’ proposal to waive the requirement for testing cough syrups being exported to the US, the UK, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Korea and Switzerland at the prescribed laboratory. These repeated failures and global health warnings raise serious concerns about the safety of cough syrups manufactured in India. The Indian government is urged to take immediate action to address these issues by strengthening quality control measures, securing supply chains and ensuring thorough testing to prevent further tragedies. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="96935179" title="WHO alert against use of Indian cough syrups in Uzbekistan" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Why are over 300 batches of Indian cough syrup being deemed "toxic"?

<ul><li>Maiden Pharmaceutical Limited is the manufacturer licensed by the state drug controller for the products under reference. </li><li>It is a practice that the importing country tests the products for quality before sanctioning their usage there.</li><li>Four samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol/ Ethylene Glycol as indicated.</li></ul> A probe has been initiated by India's drug regulator after the <keyword id="6366244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="who" source="Orion">WHO</keyword> issued an alert saying cough syrups manufactured by an Indian firm could potentially be linked to the death of children in The <keyword id="162357" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gambia" source="Orion">Gambia</keyword>, official sources said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday warned that four "contaminated" and "substandard" cough syrups allegedly produced by <keyword id="15173890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maiden-Pharmaceuticals-Limited" source="Orion">Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited</keyword> based in Haryana's Sonepat could be the reason for the deaths in the West African nation. The sources said the exact "one-to-one causal relation of death" has neither been provided by the <keyword id="10118578" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Nations-Health-Agency" source="Orion">United Nations Health Agency</keyword> nor the details of labels and products been shared by it with the <keyword id="170943" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Drugs-Standard-Control-Organisation" source="Orion">Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation</keyword> (CDSCO), enabling it to confirm the identity or source of the manufacturing of the products. "Based on available information, the CDSCO has already taken up an urgent investigation into the matter with regulatory authorities in Haryana. "While all required steps will be taken, as a robust regulatory authority, the WHO has been requested to share with CDSCO at the earliest the report on the establishment of a causal relation to the deaths with the medical products in question, photographs of labels/products etc," the sources said. According to the sources, the WHO had on September 29 informed the Drugs Controller General of India that it was providing technical assistance and advice to The Gambia. It had highlighted that a significant contributing factor to the deaths was suspected to be the use of medicines which may have been contaminated with Diethylene Glycol/Ethylene Glycol, and said its presence had been confirmed in some of the samples it tested. The CDSCO said it responded to the WHO within an hour-and-a-half after receiving intimation, by taking up the matter with the state regulatory authority. A detailed investigation was launched to ascertain the facts and details into the matter in collaboration with Haryana State Drugs Controller, the source explained. From the preliminary inquiry, it has been made out that Maiden Pharmaceutical Limited is the manufacturer licensed by the state drug controller for the products under reference, and holds manufacturing permission for these products. "The company has manufactured and exported these products only to The Gambia so far," the source said. It is a practice that the importing country tests the products for quality before sanctioning their usage there. As per the tentative results received by WHO out of the 23 samples tested, four samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol/ Ethylene Glycol as indicated. It has also been informed by WHO that the certificate of analysis will be made available to it in near future and WHO will share it with India. "At the same time, the exact one-to-one causal relation of death has not yet been provided by WHO, nor have the details of labels/ products been shared by WHO with CDSCO enabling it to confirm the identity/ source of the manufacturing of the products," the official source stated. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/indias-service-sector-activity-falls-to-6-month-low-in-sep-amid-inflation-competition-pmi/articleshow/94675187.cms">India's service sector activity falls to 6-month low in Sep amid inflation, competition: PMI</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/taj-mahal-will-be-open-for-night-viewing-during-sharad-purnima-for-four-nights/articleshow/94672935.cms">Taj Mahal will be open for night viewing during 'Sharad Purnima' for four nights</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/rupee-falls-4-paise-to-81-66-against-us-dollar-in-early-trade/articleshow/94672726.cms">Rupee falls 4 paise to 81.66 against US dollar in early trade</a>

Indian drug regulator kicks off probe on cough syrup linked to deaths of Gambian children

Indian Pharma company <keyword id="15908017" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="marion-biotech" source="Orion">Marion Biotech</keyword> Pvt Ltd has halted the production of cough syrup following allegations by Uzbekistan that at least 18 children died in the country after consuming the medicine. A joint inspection of the manufacturer's Noida facility was carried out by the teams of the Uttar Pradesh Drug Control Department and CDSCO. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is in contact with the national drug regulator of Uzbekistan regarding the matter. "Immediately on receipt of the information, joint inspection of the NOIDA facility of the manufacturer, Marion Biotech, was carried out by UP Drug Control and CDSCO team and further action as appropriate would be initiated based on the inspection report," said the Union health ministry on Thursday. The samples of the cough syrup have been taken from the manufacturing premises and sent to Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory (RDTL), Chandigarh for testing. Meanwhile, Marion Biotech Pharma company has said that it has sent samples of the said cough syrup for testing and has also halted the production of the product. Hasan, the Legal Head of Marion Biotech, expressed grief over the deaths on behalf of the company and said that an inquiry into the matter was being conducted by the government. He added that samples were collected and action would be taken on the basis of the report. Marion Biotech is a licensed manufacturer and holds a license for manufacturing Dok1 <keyword id="26842" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="max" source="Orion">Max</keyword> syrup and <keyword id="50839" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tablet" source="Orion">Tablet</keyword> for export purposes granted by <keyword id="282629" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="drugs-controller" source="Orion">Drugs Controller</keyword>, Uttar Pradesh. Uzbekistan's health ministry, on Tuesday, said that 18 children suffering from an acute respiratory disease died after taking excessive doses of cough syrup Dok 1 Max, manufactured by Marion Biotech. Experts say that cough syrups sometimes contain "unacceptable levels" of Di<keyword id="7488410" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ethylene-glycol" source="Orion">ethylene Glycol</keyword> and Ethylene Glycol. The syrup becomes harmful if there is even a slight difference in their quantity. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/urgent-need-to-develop-antibiotics-for-newborns-say-global-experts/articleshow/96592721.cms">Urgent need to develop antibiotics for newborns say global experts</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/nirmala-sitharaman-discharged-from-aiims/articleshow/96598659.cms">Nirmala Sitharaman discharged from AIIMS</a>

Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech halts manufacture of cough syrup, probe underway

The <keyword id="43588" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="Orion">World Health Organization</keyword> on Thursday warned against the use of two Indian cough syrups for children that have been linked to deaths in <keyword id="108488" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="uzbekistan" source="Orion">Uzbekistan</keyword>. The WHO said the products, manufactured by <keyword id="15908017" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="marion-biotech" source="Orion">Marion Biotech</keyword>, were "substandard" and that the firm had failed to provide guarantees about their safety, the <keyword id="60684" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bbc" source="Orion">BBC</keyword> reported. The alert comes weeks after Uzbekistan alleged that 18 children died after consuming a syrup made by the company. The firm has not yet commented on the alert. After the deaths were reported in Uzbekistan, India's Health Ministry suspended production at the company. This week, the food safety department in Uttar Pradesh, where Marion Biotech is based, also suspended the company's production licence. In the alert issued on Thursday, the WHO said that an analysis of the two cough syrups - Ambronol and Dok-1 <keyword id="26842" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="max" source="Orion">Max</keyword> - by the quality control laboratories of Uzbekistan's Health Ministry found unacceptable amounts of two contaminants - "diethylene glycol and/or ethylene glycol", the BBC reported. Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans and could be fatal if consumed. "Both of these products may have marketing authorizations in other countries in the region. They may also have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions," the global health body said. It added that "the substandard products" were "unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death", BBC reported. India is known as the "world's pharmacy" as it produces a third of the world's medicines, meeting much of the medical needs of developing countries. The country is also home to some of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical companies. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/nine-in-10-adults-from-india-us-admit-to-cyberbullying-royal-melbourne-institute-study/articleshow/96933109.cms">Nine in 10 adults from India, US admit to cyberbullying: Royal Melbourne Institute study</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/world-is-in-a-state-of-crisis-difficult-to-predict-how-long-it-will-last-modi/articleshow/96934401.cms">World is in a state of crisis, difficult to predict how long it will last: Modi</a>

WHO alert against use of Indian cough syrups in Uzbekistan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Seventy children died in Gambia, and their deaths have been linked to contaminated cough syrup.</li><li>The victims' families were offered a combined $20,000 in compensation, or about $285 per victim.</li></ul>The families of 70 deceased Gambian children — whose deaths are believed to be linked to consuming cough syrup imported from India — were offered a combined $20,000 in compensation, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-62845587?ns_mchannel=social&amp;ns_source=twitter&amp;ns_campaign=bbc_live&amp;ns_linkname=6368ecce49d9ef23494b98d0%26Gambia%20families%20reject%20%2420%2C000%20for%20cough%20syrup%20deaths%262022-11-07T13%3A11%3A28.704Z&amp;ns_fee=0&amp;pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:87309ef4-be69-4711-b51a-c36e5a3062ee&amp;pinned_post_asset_id=6368ecce49d9ef23494b98d0&amp;pinned_post_type=share">BBC</a> reported. This amounts to about $285 per victim.Ebrima Sanyang, the chairperson of the grieving families, told the BBC the money was "an insult to the victims," and the families have rejected the offer. Taking the money would mean that they were not fighting for justice for their children, he said.The West African state is probing a slew of child deaths that have occurred over the past months, Adama Barrow, the president of Gambia, said in a <a href="https://www.op.gov.gm/sites/default/files/articles/H.E%20Statement%20-%20ACUTE%20KIDNEY%20INJURY%20OUTBREAK%20100922.pdf">statement</a> in early October.Beginning in July, the country's Ministry of Health "detected an unusual rise in the number of cases of diarrhea and vomiting among children under the age of five," Barrow said. Many of those children would go on to develop Acute Kidney Injuries, or AKI's, that resulted in their deaths.Preliminary investigations indicate that the deaths are linked to the consumption of four cough syrups that were made in India, the Gambian police said in a report in mid-October, per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gambia-police-link-child-deaths-cough-syrup-imported-by-us-firm-2022-10-11/">Reuters</a>.The World Health Organization, or WHO, is working with the Gambian government in the investigation. The organization issued a <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/05-10-2022-medical-product-alert-n-6-2022-substandard-(contaminated)-paediatric-medicines">health alert</a> after it found the four cough products contain "unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants."According to the WHO statement, consumption of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol can prove fatal. Effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and "acute kidney injury which may lead to death."The organization listed India-based company Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited as the manufacturer. Maiden Pharmaceuticals did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India released a <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1865655">statement</a> saying that while the four drugs Maiden Pharmaceuticals produced "are not licensed for manufacture and sale in India," the company has permission to manufacture them "for export only."Since October, 41,500 out of 50,000 bottles of contaminated cough syrup have been recalled, but the rest are still unaccounted for, the Gambian police told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/world/asia/india-gambia-cough-syrup.html">The New York Times</a> in early November.The country's Medicines Control Agency — a national regulatory institution — has not been able to definitively conclude that the cough syrups were the culprit, Tijan Jallow, an official, said at a news conference on October 31, per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/gambia-says-it-has-not-yet-confirmed-cough-syrup-cause-child-deaths-2022-10-31/">Reuters</a>. The country is still in the process of trying to establish what each child took, he added. The Medicines Control Agency and the Gambian police did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Gambia offered $285 to the families of 70 children whose deaths have been linked to contaminated cough syrup. The families say the offer is 'an insult to the victims.'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Shutterstock</div></div></div>Do e-cigarettes help smokers quit or glorify a potentially unhealthy habit?Public health experts are divided on the question, but a new study is the first of its kind to suggest that for some people, the devices could help more than they hurt.The paper, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460317302915">published in the journal Addictive Behaviors</a>, looks at how patterns of quitting smoking have changed across America since e-cigarettes - devices that vaporize liquid nicotine rather than burning tobacco and creating tar - were introduced in 2010.Researchers at Columbia University and Rutgers University looked at two years of data from an annual, nationwide household survey and homed in on two groups of people: current smokers and former smokers who quit during or before 2010, the year e-cigarettes were introduced.Among the roughly 15,500 adults the researchers looked at, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460317302915">those who said they used e-cigs daily were far more likely to have quit regular cigarettes</a> than the people who said they'd never tried e-cigs. In fact, over half of daily e-cigarette users had quit smoking in the past five years, compared to just 28% of those who had never tried them.Looked at another way, the single strongest predictor of someone in the survey having quit smoking was daily e-cigarette use."Our findings suggest that frequent e-cigarette use may play an important role in cessation or relapse prevention for some smokers," <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/people/our-faculty/dg2984">Daniel Giovenco</a>, an assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the lead study author, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/cums-deu081617.php">said in a statement</a>.The study builds on previous observational research suggesting that e-cigs could help smokers quit. A large study of 160,000 people spanning more than 15 years and <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3262">published in the journal BMJ in July last year</a> suggested that smokers who used e-cigarettes not only tried to stop smoking more frequently but also succeeded (for at least a few months) more often than those who didn't use them.Still, these studies are observational and have limitations. Because observational studies look at groups of people and their behavior over time, it's hard to say for sure that other conflicting factors aren't influencing the outcomes they examine. It's also worth pointing out that the study didn't address whether e-cigs might appeal to people who would otherwise not smoke or vape at all.Plus, e-cigs aren't risk-free: some of the devices have been <a href="https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173222.htm">found to contain ingredients like diethylene glycol</a> (used in antifreeze) <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1413069#t=article">as well as formaldehyde</a>, both of which have been linked with cancer. Studies also suggest that frequent e-cig use could <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/article-abstract/2600166">raise your risk of heart disease</a>.This is why researchers emphasize that more studies are needed - preferably studies that explore details about the kinds of e-cig devices people are using as well as why and how frequently they use them."Uncovering patterns of use at the population level is a critical first step in determining if [e-cigarettes] may present any benefits to public health," said Giovenco. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/good-cholesterol-hdl-not-so-good-2017-7">We may have been wrong about 'good' cholesterol all this time</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "diethylene glycol" and got 6 results

Why are over 300 batches of Indian cough syrup being deemed "toxic"?

Ashmita Gupta

Indian drug regulator kicks off probe on cough syrup linked to deaths of Gambian children

PTI

Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech halts manufacture of cough syrup, probe underway

IANS

WHO alert against use of Indian cough syrups in Uzbekistan

IANS

Gambia offered $285 to the families of 70 children whose deaths have been linked to contaminated cough syrup. The families say the offer is 'an insult to the victims.'

Amanda Goh

This may be the first substantial evidence that e-cigs could help people quit smoking

Erin Brodwin

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