Centre forms committee to examine WHO details on 66 kid deaths in The Gambia
Darpan News Desk IANS, 12 Oct, 2022 11:00 AM
New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) The Centre has formed a four-member panel to examine the detailed report shared by the World Health Organisation on 66 children's deaths in The Gambia reportedly after using Indian-made medicines.
"The committee will examining and analysing adverse event reports, causal relationship, and all related details shared by WHO. After examining, the committee will suitably advise and recommend the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) about further course of action. The committee may co-opt any other technical expert as deemed necessary, an official source told IANS.
The WHO had issued an alert on four India-made cough and cold syrups "potentially linked with acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children in Gambia".
The committee will be chaired by Dr Y.K Gupta, Vice Chairperson, Standing National Committee on Medicines. The other members are Dr Pragya D. Yadav, NIV, ICMR, Pune, Dr Arti Bahl, Division of Epidemiology, NCDC, New Delhi, and A.K. Pradhan, JDC(I), CDSCO.
The WHO has informed that as per the tentative results received by it, out of the 23 samples of the products under reference which were tested, four samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol/Ethylene Glycol.
However, the global health body has not yet made available the certificate of analysis. It has informed that the same will be made available in near future. The exact one to one causal relation of death has not yet been provided by the WHO to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) although it has requested the global health body twice in this regard, sources told IANS.
After the CDSCO launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the facts, the preliminary enquiry has revealed that Maiden Pharmaceutical Ltd, Sonepat, Haryana is a manufacturer licensed by the State Drug Controller for products Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup, and MaGrip n Cold Syrup under reference, and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only. The company has manufactured and exported these products only to The Gambia.
Meanwhile, the CDSCO and State Drug Controller Haryana have stopped all the manufacturing activities of Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd at Sonepat on October 11 on grounds of deficiencies found on local inspection.
The Chief Minister said investigation into the case was almost completed.. Phogat had come to Goa on August 22 and was staying at a hotel in Anjuna. She felt uneasy that night and the next morning, she was taken to the St. Anthony's hospital where she was declared brought dead.
The government provides free power to 13.88 lakh farmers of the state for their grid connected tubewells for irrigation and bears the expenditure of approximately Rs 7,000 crore as subsidy being paid to the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL).
The incident occurred at Thondamathur in Coimbatore district. Tamil Nadu fire and rescue department and local police are engaged in the process to lift the vehicle from the well-using cranes. Police said that rash driving could be the reason for the accident.
The US Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will explore partnerships with the Indian education sector during the delegation visits to Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi between September 12-16. The delegation will comprise representatives of 21 US HEIs from 15 US states which will go around the three major Indian cities, against the backdrop of India's New Education Policy-2020.
The national flag will be flown at half-mast on Sunday throughout India and there will be no official entertainment programme on that day, a statement issued by the government said on Friday. Britain is observing 10-day state mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. Britain's royal family will observe a period of mourning that will end on the seventh day after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Though the family members of Sonali Phogat have demanded a probe by Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) in her murder, Goa DGP Jaspal Singh recently said that state police are capable of bringing this case to a logical end.
