Inspectors at Marion Biotech
India’s Health Ministry says in a statement it has been “in contact with the Uzbek regulator for two days,” adding that it has already dispatched inspectors to take samples of the syrup to Marion Biotech’s laboratories, which are headquartered in Noida, 50 kilometers from Delhi in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Gambia case
The Hindu newspaper reminds that the allegations come days after the final report of the Gambian experts, who observed similar levels of the same substance in the syrups of the Maiden Pharma company, which is said to be responsible for the deaths of at least 63 children.
WHO and India response
On October 5, the World Health Organization released a statement linking four Indian syrups to child deaths in The Gambia, leading to the suspension of Maiden Pharma’s export license. However, according to India, the WHO has found “a hasty correlation between the deaths and Indian drugs”.
