BAGHDAD: A medicine made in India and sold in Iraq is contaminated with toxic chemicals and poison, a test commissioned by Bloomberg News shows, the latest in a series of disturbing disclosures regarding syrup medicines used by children worldwide.
Indian-made Medicine Sent to Iraq Contains Poison, Test Reveals
According to an independent US laboratory, an Indian-made syrup purchased at a medical store in Baghdad, Iraq, in March contains more than 2.1% toxic chemicals. The compound is deadly to humans in small amounts and played a major in mass child deaths caused by the Indian-made syrups in Uzbekistan and Gambia last year.
Bloomberg also shared the laboratory test results with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Iraqi authorities on July 8. The officials of the World Health Organization told Bloomberg News that it would issue an alert over the matter. However, no public alert has been issued yet.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s health ministry spokesperson Saif al-Bader said that the ministry has “strict rules and regulations for the sale, import, and distribution of medicines.
⚡Indian-made cold syrup sent to Iraq contains poison, test shows
▪️It's the fifth time in a year that testing found an Indian drug to contain ethylene glycol
https://t.co/aaKu40WHBE— Bhavika Kapoor (@BhavikaKapoor5) July 29, 2023
Earlier, Gambia’s government said it is “far advanced” in exploring avenues for possible legal action against Maiden Pharmaceuticals and Atlantic Pharmaceuticals over toxic cough syrups that were imported from India. As many as 70 kids in Gambia died while an investigation found that the deaths were caused by filthy medicines made in India. The country’s justice minister said it had hired a US legal firm to explore legal actions over the matter.
In a statement, the African country said that they are currently benefiting from legal advice from a top international law firm, saying it is also pursuing possible redress through engagement with India.
Reuters reported that families of twenty children have already sued the two Indian companies and Gambian authorities for negligence.
The World Health Organization had also issued a global alert over cough syrups that were linked to the deaths of 70 children in the Gambia. The world health body said the cough syrups used there – made by Indian pharmaceutical firms.
