FACTBOX-India's contaminated cough syrup cases

Indian tests found 0.456% DEG and 6.520% EG Casualties: None reported Company view; action taken: Said production halted; license suspended. Company: Curis Lifesciences Product: Para Clear paracetamol suspension Contamination flagged where; by whom: Liberia; Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Date of alert: June 12, 2023 Pharmacopoeia: BP Contaminants: EG Casualties: None reported Company view; action taken: Denies allegation; products recalled. Company: Fourrts (India) Laboratories Product: Cold Out syrup Contamination flagged where; by whom: Iraq; WHO Date of alert: Aug. 7, 2023 Pharmacopoeia: BP Contaminants: DEG 0.25% and EG 2.1% Casualties: None reported.

Since last October, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health agencies have found cough and cold syrups made by several Indian companies were contaminated.

A dozen children killed by toxic syrups in India preceded these findings: The WHO said theirs may have been the start of a wave of deaths. The alerts:

Company: Digital Vision Pharma Product: COLDBEST-PC syrup

Contamination flagged where; by whom: India; Indian authorities Date of alert: January-February, 2020

Pharmacopoeia: Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) Contaminants: Diethylene glycol (DEG) 34.24%

Casualties: At least 12 dead, four disabled Company view; action taken: Denies wrongdoing; production of other medicines resumed after a few months' suspension.

Company: Maiden Pharmaceuticals Products: Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, Magrip N Cold Syrup

Contamination flagged where; by whom: Gambia; WHO Date of alert: Oct. 5, 2022

Pharmacopoeia: British Pharmacopoeia (BP) Contaminants: DEG 1%-21.3%, ethylene glycol (EG) 0.3%-5.9% according to tests for WHO

Casualties: At least 70 dead in Gambia Company view; action taken: Denies wrongdoing; license suspended for violation of good manufacturing practices.

Company: Marion Biotech Products: Ambronol and DOK-1 Max syrups

Contamination flagged where; by whom: Uzbekistan and Cambodia; WHO Date of alert: Jan. 11, 2023

Pharmacopoeia: BP Contaminants: DEG and/or EG

Casualties: At least 65 deaths in Uzbekistan Company view; action taken: Denies wrongdoing; license cancelled.

Company: Riemann Labs Product: NATURCOLD syrup

Contamination flagged where; by whom: Cameroon; WHO Date of alert: July 19, 2023

Pharmacopoeia: BP Contaminants: DEG 28.6%

Casualties: At least 6 dead in Cameroon Company view; action taken: Declined to comment to Reuters; manufacturing suspended for violations of good manufacturing practices.

Company: QP Pharma Product: Guaifenesin Syrup TG Syrup

Contamination flagged where; by whom: Marshall Islands; WHO Date of alert: April 25, 2023

Pharmacopoeia: U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) Contaminants: DEG and EG. Indian tests found 0.456% DEG and 6.520% EG

Casualties: None reported Company view; action taken: Said production halted; license suspended.

Company: Curis Lifesciences Product: Para Clear paracetamol suspension

Contamination flagged where; by whom: Liberia; Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Date of alert: June 12, 2023

Pharmacopoeia: BP Contaminants: EG

Casualties: None reported Company view; action taken: Denies allegation; products recalled.

Company: Fourrts (India) Laboratories Product: Cold Out syrup

Contamination flagged where; by whom: Iraq; WHO Date of alert: Aug. 7, 2023

Pharmacopoeia: BP Contaminants: DEG 0.25% and EG 2.1%

Casualties: None reported. Company view; action taken: Recalled product which it said was contract-manufactured by Sharun Pharmaceuticals; Sharun did not respond.