Indian cough syrup manufacturer Marion Biotech, whose medicines caused the deaths of at least 19 children in Uzbekistan between 2022 and 2023, used inappropriate raw materials in the production of their products. Instead of using pharmaceutical-grade propylene glycol (the base for the syrup), the company used a cheaper industrial-grade version, as Reuters informs on June 27.
The company purchased propylene glycol (PG) from Maya Chemtech India, which, as reported, did not have a licence to sell pharmaceutical-grade materials and was only authorised to sell industrial-grade preparations.
“We didn't know that Marion was going to use it to make cough syrups. We are not told where our material is being used,” an anonymous Maya employee told Reuters.
Industrial-grade propylene glycol is a toxic substance used in liquid detergents, antifreeze, paints or coatings, as well as to enhance the effectiveness of pesticides. Investigators handling the case say that Marion also failed to test this ingredient before using it in the syrups it sold in Uzbekistan. Under Indian manufacturing rules for medicines and cosmetics, producers are responsible for the safety of the ingredients they use.
Maya Chemtech India currently faces no charges, but the investigation is ongoing, company sources inform.
In late December, the State Security Service of Uzbekistan announced the initiation of a criminal case regarding the deaths of children after consuming the syrup "Dok-1 Max" and the arrest of officials from the importing company Quramax Medical and the Scientific Center for Drug Standardization. At the same time, the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry of Uzbekistan halted the sale of all Marion Biotech medications.
Earlier this year, the Pharmaceutical Agency reported the identification of excessive levels of ethylene glycol in a batch of Marion's products, which was 300 times higher than the medically established limit. Instead, propylene glycol (a food additive with bactericidal properties) should have been used in the medications.
In February, it was revealed that the former head of the Pharmaceutical Agency and the Center for Drug Expertise and Standardization, Sardor Kariev, had also been detained. Law enforcement authorities have not provided any updates on the status of the case since then.
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