BJP said Congress was making this an issue out of their spite while Indian cough syrups were given clean chit in the Gambian case.
The deaths of 18 children in Uzbekistan linked with made-in-India cough syrup, into which an investigation has been launched, turned into a political controversy on Thursday after the Congress said the Modi government must stop boasting about India being a pharmacy to the world. BJP said Congress out of its hatred towards Modi linked the Uzbekistan deaths to the Gambia deaths while the cough syrups in the Gambia case were later declared to be fine.
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“Made in India cough syrups seem to be deadly. First, it was the deaths of 70 kids in Gambia & now it is that of 18 children in Uzbekistan. Modi Sarkar must stop boasting about India being a pharmacy to the world and take strictest action,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
BJP’s Amit Malviya responded and said the deaths of the children in Gambia had nothing to do with the Indian cough syrup. ” That has been clarified by the Gambian authorities and DCGI, both. But blinded in its hate for Modi, Congress continues to deride India and its entrepreneurial spirit. Shameful…” Malviya tweeted.
What happened in Uzbekistan?
18 children died reportedly after taking the drug Doc-1 Max. The Drug Controller General of India is in contact with the Uzbek regulator to get detailed information about the deaths. The company which supplied these cough syrups had been doing business with the country for a long time. Uzbekistan has started a criminal probe against officials of Quramax Medical, the importer of the drug in Uzbekistan.
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The cough syrup is made by Marion Biotech.
Local reports claimed ethylene glycol was found in the samples of the cough syrup during lab tests.
What happened in Gambia?
The deaths of 66 children in Gambia were linked to the cough syrups manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited. The World Health Organization issued a medical product alert following the deaths stating that four drugs supplied to Gambia by Maiden Pharma were of substandard quality.
The government dismissed the charges and said samples of all four products were found to be compliant with specifications in tests carried out at a government laboratory.
