India Freezes Production Of Cough Syrup That Killed 70 Kids In Gambia

Indian health officials have ordered a maker of cough syrups to halt production after they were linked to the deaths of children in Gambia, BBC reported.

Photo Insert: The global health organization also warned the products "may have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries and regions" besides Gambia.

Maiden Pharmaceuticals broke rules "across its manufacturing and testing activities," Indian regulators found.

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert over four of Maiden's cough syrups linked to the deaths of almost 70 children. Investigations are currently underway in India and The Gambia.

Regulators said that they had suspended all manufacturing activities at the New Delhi-based firm after finding it had broken a number of safety rules. This was "in view of the seriousness of the contraventions observed during the investigation and its potential risk to the quality, safety, and efficacy of the drug being produced," they added.

Last week, the company said it was "shocked to hear media reports regarding the deaths and deeply saddened by this incident."

This came after the WHO issued a global alert over four of Maiden's cough syrups, warning that they could be linked to acute kidney injuries and the children's deaths in July, August, and September.

The global health organization also warned the products "may have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries and regions" besides Gambia.

The medicines were identified as Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup. Police in Gambia are investigating the deaths of the children, as Gambians demand justice.

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