Uzbekistan: Four arrested over Indian-made cough syrup deaths

Uzbekistan authorities on Friday (January 6) arrested four people in connection with the ongoing investigation of an Indian-made cough syrup blamed for the deaths of 19 children. The cough syrup- Doc-1 Max was manufactured by Indian-based pharmaceutical Marion Biotech. The company has suspended production of all medicines (including Doc-1 Max) at its unit in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Of these deaths in Uzbekistan, 18 children were from the southeastern city of Samarkand and the 19th victim, a one-year-old child, was from the Qashqadaryo region.

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Speaking to the news agency Reuters, the Uzbek state security service said on Friday that among the four arrested- two were senior employees of the Scientific Center for Standardization of Medicines, who circumvented the proper testing procedures for Doc-1 Max. The other two arrested were executives of Quramax Medikal- a company that imported Marion Biotech's medicines.

In December last year, Uzbekistan's health ministry said the cough syrup contained ethylene glycol, a toxic substance, adding it was administered in doses higher than the standard dose for children. The 19 children died due to acute renal failure. Earlier, the government had temporarily suspended sales of all Marion Biotech medicines across Uzbekistan.

On December 30, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that it was in touch with Uzbekistan's authorities and was in the process of gathering information and validating reports regarding the cough syrup deaths.

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India's health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, meanwhile, said on December 29, 2022, that Indian investigators spoke to their Uzbek counterparts and Marion Biotech's facility was being inspected. Taking to Twitter, Mandaviya said that samples of the cough syrup were taken from the manufacturing premises and sent to the Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory in Chandigarh for testing.

This is the second instance where an Indian pharmaceutical has come under the scanner for children dying after consuming cough syrups. Last year, Maiden Pharmaceuticals was held responsible for the deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia.

(With inputs from agencies)

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