The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on August 7 that a batch of Cold Out cold syrup being sold in Iraq contains extremely high levels of the toxic substances diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
Cold Out cold treatment syrup is produced by India's Fourrts Laboratories for pharmaceutical company Dabilife Pharma. Photo: Business Today/TTXVN
The batch of the drug was manufactured by Fourrts Laboratories of India for the pharmaceutical company Dabilife Pharma. Test results showed that the syrup contained 0.25% diethylene glycol and 2.1% ethylene glycol, while the safety limit for both substances is only 0.1% maximum.
According to WHO, neither the manufacturer nor the marketer of Cold Out has submitted to the agency documentation proving the quality and safety of the product for users.
The Cold Out news is the latest warning from the WHO in recent months about toxic cough syrups being sold around the world. At least five of the syrups mentioned by the WHO are made by Indian companies.
Cough syrup made in India was linked to the deaths of at least 89 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.
Pharmaceutical experts say that many companies, in their drive for profit, have replaced propylene glycol - an ingredient used in cough syrups - with cheaper but toxic substances such as ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol. These substances can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, mental status changes, acute kidney injury and many other symptoms. Severe poisoning can lead to death.
In 2022, more than 300 children, mostly under the age of 5, died from acute kidney injury in Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan. These cases were linked to similar cough syrup products manufactured by different companies.
According to VNA
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