18 children died in Uzbekistan after taking India-made cough syrup

According to the Uzbek Health Ministry, at least 18 children have passed away in Uzbekistan as a result of using a medical syrup produced by the Indian pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech.

According to the ministry, 18 out of 21 kids who took Doc-1 Max syrup while having an acute respiratory illness passed away soon after taking it. It is promoted as a remedy for cold and flu symptoms on the business website.

The ministry claimed that ethylene glycol, a hazardous chemical, was present in a batch of the syrup. In a statement issued by the government on Tuesday, it was revealed that Quramax Medical had imported the syrup into Uzbekistan.

Additionally, it claimed that without a doctor's prescription, either by the children's parents or on the advice of pharmacists, the syrup was administered to kids at home at amounts that were higher than those recommended for kids.

It was unclear right at first if every child had swallowed the questionable batch, had taken more than the recommended dosage or had done both.

A Reuters query for comment about Marion Biotech, Quramax Medical, and India's Health Ministry did not immediately elicit a response. According to a source in the Indian government, the Health Ministry was looking into the situation.

To ensure high-quality standards, India started inspecting select medication facilities across the nation on Tuesday.

The situation in Uzbekistan is comparable to one that occurred in The Gambia, where cough and cold medications produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals, a New Delhi-based company, were cited as the cause of at least 70 child deaths. Both the corporation and the Indian government have disputed that the medications were to blame.

India is referred regarded as the "pharmacy of the world," and in the most recent fiscal year, its pharmaceutical exports reached $24.5 billion, an increase of more than double over the previous ten years.

The Uzbek Health Ministry announced that seven personnel had been fired for carelessness for failing to properly investigate the deaths and take the necessary steps. Without elaborating on the specialists' functions, it claimed to have taken disciplinary action against several "specialists."

The Doc-1 Max tablets and syrups are also being withdrawn from all pharmacies.

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