The World Health Organisation has called on the government to increase market surveillance and protect children from contaminated medicines.
This, the WHO said, should include risk-based targeted testing for medical products released in the market to detect and respond to incidents of substandard and falsified medical products.
The WHO now wants the products detected and removed from circulation as they are potential causes of death and diseases.
The global health agency warned that in the past four months, countries have reported several incidents of over-the-counter cough syrups for children with confirmed or suspected contamination with high levels of diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG).
“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,” WHO said.
WHO has further called on regulators and governments to enact and enforce appropriate laws and other relevant legal measures to help combat the manufacture, distribution and use of substandard and falsified medicines.
According to WHO, all suppliers and distributors of medical products should always check for signs of falsification and physical condition of medicines and other health products they distribute or sell.
“WHO calls on manufacturers of medicines to provide assurance of product quality including through certificates of analyses based on appropriate testing results,” WHO says.
In October, WHO warned that about four cough syrups made in India had been linked to the deaths of 66 children in Gambia.
This is after laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products confirmed that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.
