Gurugram, (Samajweekly) A team of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and Haryana State Drugs Controller have collected samples of four cough syrups manufactured by Sonepat-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals over their alleged links to the deaths of dozens of children in west Africa.
The government agencies sprung into action after the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued an alert regarding the cough syrups manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals for their potential links to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia.
Assistant State Drug Controller Manmohan Taneja told IANS that “a team of the CDSCO, the DCGI, and the State Drugs Controller, Haryana have collected the samples of the four cough syrups exported to The Gambia for investigation”.
The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Chlorphenamine Maleate, Phenylephrine HCI, Dextromethorphan HBR Syrup (Makoff Baby Cough Syrup), Pheniramine Maleate, Ammonium Chloride, Menthol Syrup (Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup), and Paracetamol Phenylephrine HCL & Chlorphenamine Maleate Syrup (MaGrip n Cold Syrup).
The samples have been sent to a Kolkata-based lab and the result of the tests is expected in the next few days, he said.
Meanwhile, sources said Maiden Pharmaceuticals has recalled its products for further investigation and waiting for the government’s directions to proceed further.
Sources also said during the preliminary enquiry revealed that Maiden Pharmaceutical is a manufacturer licensed by the state drug controller for the products under reference, and exported these products only to The Gambia.
The company has two directors — Naresh Kumar Goyal and Vivek Goyal – and two manufacturing plants, one based in Sonepat and the other in Panipat. Its corporate office is at Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura, Delhi.
