drug
Gambia: 69 dead after ingestion of contaminated cough syrup
More and more children are dying after ingesting a cough syrup made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited. President Adama Barrow is now taking decisive action against the company. photo
© Julia Nikhinson/AP/dpa
Has ingestion of cough syrup led to acute kidney failure in 69 children in West African Gambia? This suspicion is confirmed. President Adama Barrow is now drawing consequences for the Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer.
The number of deaths from ingesting contaminated cough and cold syrups in The Gambia has risen to 69, according to the country’s Health Ministry. On Saturday Adama Barrow, the President of the West African country, also terminated the license for the suspected Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited.
According to the WHO, the cough and cold syrups sold in Gambia are suspected of triggering acute kidney failure. The dead are therefore children who were under five years old. According to the WHO, it is investigating the incident in cooperation with the manufacturer and the Indian authorities. It cannot be ruled out that the drugs in question were also used in other countries.
Maiden Pharmaceuticals announced on Saturday that they were shocked by the situation in The Gambia and referred to quality tests by Indian health authorities in early October. However, the laboratory results are still pending. India is known as the pharmacy of the world and produces many medicines inexpensively, especially for poorer countries.