Uzbekistan has arrested an Indian national heading Marion Biotech in the country as part of a criminal probe launched into the death of 18 children who are believed to have succumbed to the effects of consuming cough syrup made by the Indian pharmaceutical company.
Media reports say most victims took Dok 1 Max Syrup and anti-cold tablets produced by Marion Biotech Ltd without consulting a doctor or getting any prescription.
Uzbekistan's Health Ministry said in a statement that the children who died took 2.5 to 5 milliliters of the cough syrup at home three to four times a day, which is higher than the standard dose should be.
The statement added that tablets and cough syrups of Dok 1 have been withdrawn from sale in all chemists across the country.
What is Wrong With The Cough Syrups?
In a similar incident in October, 70 children died in Gambia after reportedly consuming syrups made in India contaminated with ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol that had been produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
Ethylene glycol, which was found in the botched syrups after lab tests, is toxic and forbidden for medicinal purposes.
On Thursday, Marion Biotech's head of legal, Hasan Raza, issued an apology, adding that the Indian government is conducting an inquiry; manufacturing the potentially lethal product has been halted as of now.
According to Indian news website moneycontrol.com, a team comprising members of India’s Drug regulator and Uttar Pradesh Drugs Controlling and Licensing Authority conducted an inspection of Marion Biotech's manufacturing site on 27 December.
The samples were sent for testing, as was the case of Gambia.
The official said that Dok 1-Max cough syrup is had been granted a Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (COPP) which is the standard observed by the British Pharmacopeia.
Marion Biotech also exports drugs to countries including the United Kingdom, Georgia, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.