Another cough syrup manfactured in India hit the news headlines today following a ‘Medical Product Alert’ alert issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The alert was issued for a batch of substandard (contaminated) Guaifenesin Syrup TG Syrup. The substandard product was identified in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia and reported to WHO on 6 April 2023, a WHO statement said.

It may be noted here that Guaifenesin is an expectorant that is used to treat chest congestion and other cough symptoms.

A laboratory analysis found that the product contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants, WHO said.

The manufacturer of the said product is QP Pharmachem Ltd based in Punjab. WHO identified the marketer of the product as Trillium Pharma from Haryana.

The statement noted that “neither the stated manufacturer nor the marketer have provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products.”

The medicine in question is “unsafe and its use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death,” WHO said.”Toxic effects can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state and acute kidney injury which may lead to death,” it added.

This is the third such case in quick succession involving Indian drug manufacturers.

A few months prior, a cough syrup produced by a company named Maiden Pharma was alleged to have caused a significant number of children deaths in the African nation of Gambia.

Around the same time, Uzbekistan claimed that 18 children in the country died after allegedly being administerd a cough syrup made by Marion Biotech, a Noida pharma manufacturer.