The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged nations to take steps to avoid, identify, and address instances of shoddy and fake medical supplies.
According to the WHO, many incidences of confirmed or suspected contamination with excessive amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol in over-the-counter cough syrups for children have been reported by nations over the last four months.
The UN committee warned that the pollutants, which include dangerous compounds used as antifreeze and industrial solvents that can be fatal even in little doses, should never be present in medicines.
“The cases are from at least seven countries, associated with more than 300 fatalities in three of these countries. Most are young children under the age of five. These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal, even taken in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines.
“Most are young children under the age of five. These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even taken in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines,” it said in a press statement on its website.
Public health experts have been concerned about tainted cough syrups.
The international health organization responded to these instances with three global medical alerts.
The Medical Product Alert N°6/2022 on October 5, 2022, focused on the outbreak in the Gambia, Medical Product Alert N°7/2022 on November 6, 2022, focused on Indonesia, and Medical Product Alert No1/2023 on January 11, 2023, focused on Uzbekistan.
The WHO asked parties involved in the medical supply chain to respond quickly and cooperatively because these are not isolated events.
The agency called on regulators and governments to “detect and remove from circulation in their respective markets any substandard medical product that has been identified in the WHO medical alerts referred to above as potential causes of deaths and disease,” it added.
