Gambia cough syrup deaths: Samples sent for testing, results to come in two days

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has collected the samples of the cough syrup, which has been allegedly linked to death of 66 children in Gambia, for investigation and results are expected within two days, a top official aware of the development told Moneycontrol.

The samples have been collected from the manufacturing facility of Sonipat-based Maiden Pharmaceutical in Haryana.

According to the official, the DCGI is investigating if the four products in question have been exported only to Gambia or were supplied in the Indian market too. "Till now as per the information available, it shows that the drug was only being exported to Gambia," he added.

Also Read: Cough syrups that killed Gambian kids not sold in India but spark questions on quality check

The DCGI had sent an email to World Health Organization (WHO) on 29 September requesting the packaging label and batch number of the products which were allegedly contaminated, the official mention above said, adding that the world health agency hasn't responded yet.

The probe was initiated by India's drug regulator after the WHO issued an alert saying that four "contaminated" and "substandard" cough syrups allegedly produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited based in Haryana's Sonepat could be the reason for the deaths in the West African nation.

Any batch of drugs when exported to another country gets tested by the recipient country's drug controller. However, the WHO hasn't made it clear if these tests were conducted in Gambia.