The Gambia has launched an urgent campaign to recall the cough medicine that is believed to have caused the deaths of more than 60 children from kidney injuries in the small West African country. The event that shocked the country of 2.4 million people.
The death of 66 children as a result of acute kidney injury prompted the World Health Organization to issue an alert regarding four medicinal products, after the agency was notified of the matter during the month of September 2022.
It was found that these drugs do not meet the required standards, whether in terms of quality or specifications, and therefore are considered “contrary to specifications”.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, indicated, during a meeting with the media, that the four drugs are used for coughs and colds, and are likely to be associated with acute kidney injuries, and 66 deaths among children.
These medicines used to combat coughs and colds are: Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
So far, contaminated medicines have only been discovered in The Gambia, and may have been distributed to other countries. Ghebreyesus stressed that the organization is following up investigations with the company and the relevant authorities in India, and also recommends all countries to disclose these products and withdraw them from the market to prevent further harm to patients.
The Gambia Medical Research Council also issued an alert saying: “A baby girl with this condition (acute kidney injury) was admitted to hospital… She unfortunately passed away. It has been proven that she took one of the drugs suspected of causing her condition that was purchased from a pharmacy. Within the Gambia, the drug has been identified as containing a large amount of a toxin that irreversibly destroys the kidneys.”
Ghebreyesus pointed out that laboratory analysis of samples taken from the four medical products contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.
health risks
The organic compounds diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol lead to poisoning.
Their toxic effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to urinate, headache, altered mental status, and severe kidney injury that can lead to death.
In a statement, the organization indicated that all these products should be considered unsafe, until the relevant national regulatory authorities can analyze them. and that use of these products, particularly by children, may result in serious injury or death.