Gambia: Death of Children by Cough Syrup

The executive director of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), Markie Janneh Kaira, and her deputy executive director were fired for being responsible, according to investigations, for failing to register lots involved in the poisoning deaths of 70 children.

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“The government is seeing the possibility of opening a case against them for having ignored their official duty,” explained Gambia’s health minister Ahmadou Lamin Samatehen at a press conference.

The investigation in question was conducted by a 17-member presidential panel. This commission determined that the children’s deaths could be related to Indian-made syrups imported by Atlantic Pharmaceuticals. The dismissals of Janneh Kaira and her executive director were direct recommendations of this investigative group “in order to strengthen the MCA and restore public confidence in the institution.”

The cough syrup in question reportedly caused the death of 70 children from kidney failure caused by high levels of diluents in the syrup. Research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that four types of cough, cold, and nausea syrups manufactured in India by Maiden Pharmaceuticals contain high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylengicol recorded in seven countries.

Both are used as antifreeze agents in cough syrups. In undue doses, it can damage the kidney, generating a serious renal alteration as well as disorders of the central nervous system. There have also been cases in which it damages the functioning of the liver, and on many occasions and in any of its consequences, it can cause death.

The Indian government, faced with international claims, decided in May to strictly regulate the production and export of Atlantic Pharmaceuticals products: “The export of cough syrup(…) shall be permitted subject to the testing of export samples and the submission of an analysis issued by any laboratory with effect from June 1, 2023,” a document published by the Directorate-General for Foreign Trade of India.

These 70 deaths have been occurring in Gambia since July 2022, when the case exploded in the international press and networks, raising alarm around the world. From that time to the present, the WHO has consistently advised that governments should take the quality of imported cough syrups seriously.

The United States Centers for Disease Control have made up to five separate reports, including one to Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which indicate that the pharmacist markets syrups contaminated with toxic substances. Despite all the evidence, the pharmaceutical company denies any responsibility.

For their part, relatives have filed a triple complaint against the Gambian Ministry of Health, the Indian pharmaceutical company, and the marketer Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

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