New warning issued over toxic cough syrup that 'may result in serious injury or death'

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a new batch of Indian cough syrup circulating in two Pacific Island countries 'may result in serious injury or death'.

Australia's regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), discovered that samples of the product 'Guaifenesin Syrup TG Syrup' were contaminated with unacceptable levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are toxic to humans when consumed. They can lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, altered mental state, acute kidney injury, and even death.

WHO warns cough syrup is 'unsafe'

The WHO has issued a warning to inhabitants of the Marshall Islands and the Federal States of Micronesia to not consume the product. If it has already been used, it advises contacting a medical professional immediately. A WHO statement said:

Neither the stated manufacturer nor the marketer have provided guarantees to [the] WHO on the safety and quality of these products, [it is] unsafe and its use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death.

It did not mention whether any children in the Marshall Islands or Micronesia had become ill.

Read more ⋙ New eye drop product recalled over risk of possible infection that 'could result in blindness'

Read more ⋙ Eye drops linked to lethal infection urgently recalled: ‘Immediately stop using them’

Company claims cough syrup was 'satisfactory'

The product is manufactured by QP Pharmachem Ltd, a company located in the north-west Indian state of Punjab, and marketed by Trillium Pharma, located in the north Indian state of Haryana.

The managing director of QP Pharmachem, Sudhir Pathak, told Reuters that both the company and the state drug regulator in Punjab had tested samples of the exported batch and:

We found it satisfactory and the regulator found it satisfactory too.

Pathak stated that the product had been widely distributed in India, and that the company has received no complaints yet. He also said 18,000 bottles were exported to Cambodia only, thus it is not clear how they got to the Western Pacific.

Sources used:

The Telegraph: 'WHO issues fresh warning over new batch of toxic cough syrup'

Reuters: 'WHO says contaminated cough syrup made in India found in Western Pacific'