Manufacturing Activities Of Firm Behind Cough Syrup Linked To Deaths Of Uzbek Children Stopped: Mansukh Mandaviya

Cough syrup Dok-1 Max, manufactured by Noida-based Marion Biotech, led to the death of 18 children in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, who suffered from side effects following its consumption.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said Friday that all manufacturing activities of Marion Biotech, a Noida-based healthcare company, were stopped since Thursday night, in view of reports of contamination in cough syrup Dok-1 Max, consumption of which led to the deaths of 18 children in Uzbekistan. The manufacturing activities of the firm have been halted at its Noida unit, following inspection by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

The health minister also said that further investigation on the case is ongoing. 

Cough syrup Dok-1 Max, manufactured by Marion Biotech, led to the death of 18 children in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, who suffered from side effects following its consumption, the Uzbekistan Health Ministry said in a statement. This is not the first time cough syrups made in India have harmed or claimed the lives of children in other countries. As many as 82 children were reported to have suffered from acute kidney injury in Gambia, between June and November this year, following the consumption of contaminated cough syrups manufactured by Indian firm Maiden Pharmaceuticals. 

On Thursday, December 29, the Indian Health Ministry said the CDSCO is in regular contact with Uzbekistan's drug regulator, and that Uttar Pradesh drug control officers and a CDSCO team conducted a joint inspection at Marion Biotech's Noida manufacturing unit. 

Samples were collected and sent to Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory (RDTL), Chandigarh. 

The CDSCO team conducted a 10-hour inspection at Marion Biotech's Noida unit on Thursday. 

Marion Biotech does not sell Dok-1 Max in India, and exports the cough syrup only to Uzbekistan, an Uttar Pradesh government official said, news agency PTI reported. 

Mandaviya said the CDSCO has been in regular contact with Uzbekistan's drug regulator regarding the matter since December 27. 

According to the Uzbekistan Health Ministry, a chemical named ethylene glycol was detected in laboratory tests of the cough syrup. Ethylene glycol first affects the central nervous system, followed by the heart and kidneys, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some cases, the compound can also lead to the death of the one who consumes it.