WHO issues alert over India-made cough syrup Guaifenesin

Tags: International News

The WHO has issued a red alert due to "unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol" in the tested samples of Guaifenesin TG syrup manufactured by Punjab-based QP Pharmachem Ltd.

An overview of the news

• The World Health Organization has said that a consignment of this contaminated cough syrup made in India has been found in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia.

• Guaifenesin is used to relieve the symptoms of cough and tightness in the chest.

• Samples of Guaifenesin Syrup TG Syrup from the Marshall Islands were analyzed and it was found that the product contained unacceptable amounts of Diethylene Glycol and Ethylene Glycol as contaminants.

• Ingestion of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol aretoxic to humans, and can prove fatal.

• The latest alert comes months after the WHO linked another cough syrup made in India to child deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan.

• India is the world's largest exporter of generic drugs, which meet most of the medical needs of developing countries.

• But in recent months, several Indian companies have come under scrutiny for the quality of their drugs, with experts raising concerns about the manufacturing practices used to make these drugs.