India finds quality issues with cough syrup linked to Cameroon deaths
cough syrup linked to the deaths of at least six children in Cameroon have found unidentified quality issues in at least one of the five samples picked up by authorities, two people familiar with the investigation told Reuters.
Riemann Labs is one of three Indian drugmakers whose cough syrups have been linked to the deaths of at least 141 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since the middle of last year. That has cast a shadow on the quality of exports from India, often dubbed the «world's pharmacy» due to its supply of life-saving drugs at low prices to countries that most need them.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in July that a sample picked up from Cameroon of Naturcold syrup, whose maker India has identified as Riemann, contained as much 28.6% of the toxin of diethylene glycol, compared with an acceptable limit of no more than 0.10%.
Indian authorities said they had suspended Riemann's production soon after the WHO alert, citing violations of good manufacturing practices.
