The World Health Organization’s medical product alert is to announce the discovery of four paediatric medicines that are not up to standard and can be dangerous for children.
Substandard medical products are products that fail to meet either their quality standards or specifications and are, therefore “out of specification.”
The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
The stated manufacturer of these products is Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited (Haryana, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products.
Laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products verifies that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.
There have been many calls to sack the current minister of health in The Gambia, as he allowed unhealthy foreign paediatric products to pass through the medical system and endanger the lives of Gambia citizens.
Risks of fake Paediatric products in the Gambia
Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal:
Toxic effects can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.
All batches of these products should be considered unsafe until they can be analyzed by the relevant National Regulatory Authorities.
Precautions that should be taken by the Government
It is important to recognize and eliminate these substandard products from circulation to prevent harm to patients.
All medical products must be authorized and collected from authorized/licensed suppliers. The products’ authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked. Seek advice from a healthcare professional when in doubt.
WHO requests increased surveillance and diligence within the supply chains of countries and regions likely to be affected by these products. Increased surveillance of the informal/unregulated market is also advised.
- If you have these substandard paediatric products, please DO NOT use them.
- If you, or someone you know, have used these products or suffered any adverse reaction/event after use, you are advised to seek immediate medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional and report the incident to the National Regulatory Authority or National Pharmacovigilance Centre.
