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New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Even as the death toll from poisonous cough syrups rose to 22, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that none of the three cough syrups – Coldrif, Respifresh TR and Relife – were exported from India.
This comes as the UN health agency on Wednesday sought answers from Indian authorities on the export of Coldrif in the wake of multiple deaths of young children due to acute kidney failure and acute encephalitis syndrome in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
WHO wanted to find out whether the cough syrups allegedly linked to the children’s deaths were exported to other countries.
WHO said CDSCO reported that “diethylene glycol (DEG) was found in at least three oral syrup medicines. These medicines were among those consumed by children in the cluster of reported cases.”
WHO said CDSCO has identified three products as Coldrif from Srisan Pharma (Tamil Nadu), which showed 48.6 per cent DEGs; RespFresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals (Gujarat) showed 1.342 percent DEG and Relife from Shape Pharma (Gujarat) showed 0.616 percent.
Expressing “condolences” to the affected families, the UN health agency offered “support to national authorities in their investigation and response to these tragic events”.
However, WHO reported, it had received “no official information about the source of the DEG contamination or whether contaminated drug ingredients have been identified.”
The UN health agency also expressed concern over “the potential risk of export of contaminated products to other countries, particularly through unregulated channels”, and noted “regulatory gaps in DEG/EG screening for drugs marketed domestically in India”.
The drug manufacturing unit in Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) has been sealed. Several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh, have banned the sale of Coldrif cough syrup. Other states like Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra have issued alerts.
Meanwhile, in an advisory issued to all states and Union Territories, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Sunita Sharma urged rational use of cough syrup in the pediatric population.
“Cough and cold medicines should not be prescribed or distributed to children under 2 years of age.”
In specific cases, it should be used “after careful clinical evaluation with close observation and strict adherence to appropriate dosage”.
–IANS
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