Raids in Uttarakhand medical stores, hospitals amid child deaths linked to cough syrup

Dehradun, Oct 4 (PTI) The Uttarakhand government on Saturday launched raids on medical stores and wholesale drug dealers across the state in the wake of child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly due to contaminated cough syrups.

Uttarakhand Health Secretary and FDA Commissioner Dr R Rajesh Kumar said drug inspectors in all districts have been ordered to collect samples of cough syrups from hospitals and shops in a phased manner within the month and have their quality laboratory tested so that any defective or harmful drugs can be immediately removed from the market.

Chief Medical Officers of the state have been ordered to implement the advisory received from the central government with immediate effect.

Central drug regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated risk-based inspections of drug manufacturing units in six states following collection of 19 samples including that of cough syrups, antipyretics and antibiotics.

The state health secretary said the safety and health of children as of paramount importance.

He urged all doctors in the state to take cognisance of the central government's advisory and not prescribe banned cough syrups for children.

"If doctors prescribe these syrups, medical stores will also sell them. Therefore, it is important that doctors themselves exercise responsibility and refrain from prescribing banned medicines," he said.

According to the central government's advisory, children under two years of age should not be given any type of cough or cold medicine without a doctor's advice, while the general use of these medicines is also not recommended for children under five years of age.

Kumar said the government has specifically banned syrups containing dextromethorphan and medicines containing a combination of chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride for children under four years of age.

Following the order, raids were launched across the state on a war footing under the leadership of FDA Additional Commissioner and Drug Controller Tajbar Singh Jaggi. The additional commissioner personally inspected drug stores in several areas of Dehradun, including Jogiwala and Mohkampur.

He said that if any defects are found at any level, strict legal action will be taken against the concerned company or seller.

Jaggi also appealed to the public to consult a doctor before giving any medicine to children, and to immediately contact the nearest health centre or hospital if any adverse effects are observed after taking any medicine.

The inspections by the CDSCO began on Friday with the aim to identify gaps that may have led to drug quality failures and also suggest process improvement to avoid such incidents in future, the ministry said.

Additionally, a multidisciplinary team comprising experts from the National Institute of Virology, the Indian Council of Medical Research, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, CDSCO and AIIMS-Nagpur, among others, are still analysing the various samples and factors to assess the cause of deaths in and around Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, it stated.

The manufacturing units are in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra where 19 samples of different drugs were manufactured, sources in the Union health ministry said. PTI COR DPT SKY SKY