WHO issued a warning regarding 2 Indian cough syrups, advised not to use them After Uzbekistan deaths
After the death of children in Uzbekistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned not to use two Indian cough syrups.
Manika Raghuvanshi 
Following the death of children in Uzbekistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against the use of two Indian cough syrups. The WHO has recommended that two cough syrups made by Noida-based company Marion Biotech should not be used for children in Uzbekistan.
The WHO on Wednesday issued an alert on its official website about a medical product manufactured by Marion Biotech care stating that "substandard medical products fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification."
WHO wrote in the alert "This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to two substandard (contaminated) products, identified in Uzbekistan and reported to WHO on 22 December 2022Substandard medical products are products that fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification. The two products are AMBRONOL Syrup and DOK-1 Max Syrup.
The declared manufacturer of both the products is Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd, (Uttar Pradesh, India). To date, the said manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products.
According to the WHO, laboratory analysis of cough syrup samples performed by the National Quality Control Laboratories of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan found that both products contained unacceptable amounts of Diethylene Glycol/Ethylene Glycol as a contaminant.
"Both of these products may have marketing authorizations in other countries in the region. They may also be distributed through informal markets to other countries or regions," the WHO alert said. "The substandard products referred to in this alert are unsafe and their use, especially in children, can cause serious harm or death," said the United Nations health agency.
Significantly, on December 22, the Uzbek health ministry said that 18 children had died after allegedly consuming high doses of 'Doc-1 Max', a cough syrup manufactured by Noida-based firm Marion Biotech. Following this, India asked for a detailed report on the fatalities, with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) launching its probe.
After this, the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration Department suspended the production license of Marion Biotech Company, linked to the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan. Earlier this month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said that in the wake of reports of adulteration of cough syrup, all manufacturing activities of the Noida-based pharma company have been stopped and probe is on.
