The World Health Organization said that a brand of children’s medicine sold in Cameroon had more than 200 times the acceptable amount of toxic diethylene glycol.
(Bloomberg) — The World Health Organization said that a brand of children’s medicine sold in Cameroon had more than 200 times the acceptable amount of toxic diethylene glycol.
The Naturcold syrup named and pictured in a WHO product alert issued Wednesday had 28.6% of the contaminant. The acceptable limit is no more than 0.1%, it said, without mentioning casualties.
This comes after Bloomberg reported on June 19 that Cameroonian officials suspected Naturcold of having caused the death of a dozen children.
The medicine, used to relieve common cold, flu and allergies, was first reported to the WHO in March, the organization said. The Naturcold samples, which were only made available for testing on June 27, were analyzed in a WHO-contracted laboratory.
Read more: Poisoned Cough Syrup Killed Kids. An Investigation Stalled
While the WHO notice names Fraken International as the drug manufacturer, the picture in the product alert identified the company as the marketer.
A director at Riemann Labs Pvt. Ltd., an Indian drugmaker, told Bloomberg last month that the medicine which appeared in a photo obtained from Cameroonian health officials “looked like” Riemann medicine. He however stated that Riemann followed strict quality controls and that counterfeiting is common.
Riemann couldn’t immediately be reached Wednesday night in India. A Cameroonian health ministry spokesman didn’t respond to a call and message seeking comment.
This is the fourth outbreak of mass deaths associated with tainted medicine in a year. The others were in Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan.
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