Representative imageImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, India produces a third of the world's medicines, mostly as generic drugs (file pic)

18 children have died after drinking a cough syrup made in India, according to the health ministry.

The ministry said that the medicine was found to contain a toxic substance.

The Dok-1 Max syrup was given to the children by mistake.

They exceeded the standard dose for children.

A cough syrup made by another Indian firm has been linked to the deaths of children.

India's health ministry said in a statement that its officials have been in regular contact with the drug regulators of the country.

The health officials conducted an inspection of the facility.

The samples of the cough syrup were taken from the manufacturing premises and sent to the Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory.

The company hasn't replied to the request for comment yet.

An executive of the company said that they had stopped production of the syrup. He said that the firm would take action based on the government's inquiry.

The national capital of India is called Delhi. The company's website is currently down, but it states that it was founded in 1999 and that its products are household names in Central Asian countries, Latin America, South East Asia and Africa.

Most of the world's medicines are produced in India.

Many of the medical needs of developing countries are met by the country, which is also known as the "world's pharmacy".

The Dok-1 Max tablets and syrup have been sold in the country.

The ministry said that the children who died took the drug at home for 3-7 days, 3-4 times a day, 2.5-5ml, which exceeded the standard dose of the drug for children.

The statement did not say when the deaths happened. According to the news website Gazeta.uz, fifteen children died in the central Samarkand region after taking cough syrup made in India.

The India-made cough syrup Dok-1 Max is being blamed for the hospitalization of 21 children under the age of three. The three patients who recovered were all male.

According to preliminary laboratory studies, the Dok-1 Max syrup contains ethylene glycol.

In October of last year, the World Health Organization sounded a global alert and linked four India-made cough syrups to the deaths of 66 children in the country. There were unacceptable amounts of toxic substances in the samples of the syrup that were tested.

The company and the Indian government deny the allegations.

The WHO blamed the syrups after India said that tests showed they complied with specifications. The WHO stood by its actions.

A parliamentary committee in The Gambia recommended prosecution of a pharmaceutical company. All products by the firm should be banned in the country.

The deaths of children in The Gambia were linked to cough mixes made in India that contained high levels of toxic substances.

Strict quality control and production practices are required by Indian law.

Drugs meant for export are subject to the same standards as those meant for local consumption, but it's not clear how those standards are enforced, according to experts we spoke to.

There isn't proper accountability for producing sub-standard medicine. Penalties currently include a fine of $242 and a possible prison sentence of up to two years.

The norm of punishment meted out is if there is a link between a sub-standard drug and a death.

In the past, Vietnam and Indonesia have banned Indian-made manufacturers due to substandard medicine. Some Indian-made medicines have been banned by the FDA due to quality issues.

  • Asia
  • The Gambia
  • Pharmaceutical industry
  • Uzbekistan
  • India