Bengaluru: Following child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan linked to the use of cough syrups, World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of the potential risk of contaminated products being exported to other countries, especially through unregulated channels.
In response to WHO’s letter on Oct 1, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation confirmed that diethylene glycol (DEG) was detected in at least three oral syrup medicines. The agency clarified that “none of the products were exported from India”.
DEG and ethylene glycol (EG) are toxic substances used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents. They can be fatal even in small amounts, especially for children. The contaminated products were identified as Coldrif, Respifresh TR, and ReLife.
What remains a deep concern for the global health agency is “the potential risk of contaminated products being exported to other countries, particularly via unregulated channels”.
A WHO spokesperson told TOI that while there is currently no evidence the products were exported through such channels, the risk “cannot be ruled out”.
“National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) are therefore encouraged to conduct targeted market surveillance, particularly in informal and unregulated markets,” the spokesperson said.
Asked about precedents, the spokesperson mentioned none, adding: “There is currently no reliable mechanism to verify whether products have been exported through illicit or unregulated channels — precisely because such exports typically leave no formal trace. This is what makes the risk particularly concerning.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka, which conducted preventive random checks on cough syrups following the deaths of children in other states, found no NSQ (not of standard quality) products.
Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said Karnataka began its random checks in Sept and that “almost 300–400 samples” were drawn across the state. “None of them showed NSQ,” he said.
Rao said syrups even suspected to be contaminated have been banned in the state. Last week, the state’s food safety and drug administration department issued a circular to all stakeholders not to prescribe, sell, or purchase ReLife and Respifresh TR. Similar instructions were issued for Coldrif on Oct 4.
Rao added that the state govt’s flagship app for large-scale drug recalls will be rolled out soon, enabling faster recall up to the distributor level.
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