A dangerous substance was detected in a cough syrup made by a pharmaceutical company named Pharmix Laboratories in Lahore, leading to its ban in Maldives.
The World Health Organization (WHO) alerted the public after finding high levels of ‘Diethylene Glycol’ and ‘Ethylene Glycol’ in the syrup during testing. Following the alert, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) ordered the recall of all batches of the syrup from the market.
The syrup was exported to Maldives and four other countries, as well as sold in Pakistan. A similar incident happened last year when a cough syrup from India caused several children’s deaths due to excessive ‘Ethylene Glycol’.
The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) announced earlier this week that they had screened more batches of the syrup and confirmed the presence of the harmful chemical. They declared that the import, sale and use of any batch of this drug, under this brand name, was forbidden in the country from Sunday onwards.
It should be noted that in November 2012, At least 13 people have died after drinking a toxic cough syrup in the Pakistani city of Lahore, forcing authorities to close pharmacies and a medicine factory.
The deaths occurred in the low-income Shahdra Town neighbourhood with the victims mostly drug addicts who took the syrup to get high, said local police station chief Atif Zulfiqar.
