GENEVA: Following the death of more than 300 children from contaminated cough syrup, the WHO on Monday called for “immediate and coordinated action” to eradicate substandard and falsified medicines worldwide.
At least seven countries have reported incidents involving over-the-counter cough syrups for children in the past four months, the World Health Organization said in a statement.
More than 300 associated deaths have been recorded in three of those countries – Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan – he said, adding that most of the deaths were in “young children under the age of five”.
The reported incidents involve confirmed or suspected contamination of Indian-made cough syrups with high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
“These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even when taken in small amounts,” the WHO warned.
They “should never be found in drugs”.
The UN health agency first issued an alert over child deaths seen in The Gambia in October, followed by another a month later focused on Indonesia and another earlier this month on Uzbekistan.
He issued warnings against the use of cough syrups made by Indian companies Marion Biotech and Maiden Pharmaceuticals related to deaths.
In its alerts, the WHO called on countries to redouble their efforts to detect and withdraw any contaminated medicine from circulation, to strengthen monitoring within supply chains and to immediately sound the alarm bell if the an inferior product was found.
But on Monday, the UN agency stressed that “these are not isolated incidents”, urging all parties involved in medical supply chains to take “immediate and coordinated action”.
Regulators and governments, he said, should work to identify and remove any substandard medical products identified by WHO alerts.
They must also ensure that all medical products sold in their respective markets are approved for sale by the competent authorities from authorized and licensed suppliers.
Drugmakers meanwhile have a responsibility to “purchase only pharmaceutical-grade excipients from bona fide suppliers,” the WHO said.
They must also keep full records of their purchases and perform “full testing” of all supplies received before using them to manufacture drugs, and must issue certificates of analysis attesting to the quality of a product.
The WHO added that suppliers and distributors of medical products should, among other things, “always check for signs of tampering” and only sell medicines authorized by the competent authorities.
At least seven countries have reported incidents involving over-the-counter cough syrups for children in the past four months, the World Health Organization said in a statement.
More than 300 associated deaths have been recorded in three of those countries – Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan – he said, adding that most of the deaths were in “young children under the age of five”.
The reported incidents involve confirmed or suspected contamination of Indian-made cough syrups with high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
“These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even when taken in small amounts,” the WHO warned.
They “should never be found in drugs”.
The UN health agency first issued an alert over child deaths seen in The Gambia in October, followed by another a month later focused on Indonesia and another earlier this month on Uzbekistan.
He issued warnings against the use of cough syrups made by Indian companies Marion Biotech and Maiden Pharmaceuticals related to deaths.
In its alerts, the WHO called on countries to redouble their efforts to detect and withdraw any contaminated medicine from circulation, to strengthen monitoring within supply chains and to immediately sound the alarm bell if the an inferior product was found.
But on Monday, the UN agency stressed that “these are not isolated incidents”, urging all parties involved in medical supply chains to take “immediate and coordinated action”.
Regulators and governments, he said, should work to identify and remove any substandard medical products identified by WHO alerts.
They must also ensure that all medical products sold in their respective markets are approved for sale by the competent authorities from authorized and licensed suppliers.
Drugmakers meanwhile have a responsibility to “purchase only pharmaceutical-grade excipients from bona fide suppliers,” the WHO said.
They must also keep full records of their purchases and perform “full testing” of all supplies received before using them to manufacture drugs, and must issue certificates of analysis attesting to the quality of a product.
The WHO added that suppliers and distributors of medical products should, among other things, “always check for signs of tampering” and only sell medicines authorized by the competent authorities.
