Uzbekistan Cough Syrup Deaths: Manufacturing Licence Of Marion Biotech To Be Cancelled After Adulteration Found in Samples

Noida: The Centre on Saturday recommended the State Drug Controller Authority to cancel the manufacturing licence of Noida based pharmaceutical firm Marion biotech after 22 out of 36 samples taken for testing were found adulterated with Ethylene glycol, news agency ANI reported. Marion Biotech had come under the scanner in December last year for its cough syrup Dok-1 that is suspected to have led to the death of 18 children who consumed it in Uzbekistan after which the CDSCO launched a probe into the matter. Earlier on Friday, Noida police arrested three employees of the pharma firm on charges of manufacturing and sale of adulterated drugs.

The arrests were made after an FIR was lodged late Thursday night against five officials of Marion Biotech, including two of its directors, over a complaint by a drugs inspector of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). Police said the directors are at large and a search is underway to apprehend them. 

Also Read: Uzbekistan Cough Syrup Deaths Case: 3 Employees Of Noida Pharma Firm Arrested

Central and Uttar Pradesh drug authorities had checked samples of Marion Biotech products and found 22 of them to be "not of standard quality" (adulterated and spurious), according to the complainant drug inspector.

Uzbekistan cough syrup matter | Centre recommends the State Drug Controller Authority to cancel manufacturing licence of Marion biotech after 22 out of 36 samples taken for testing from it were found adulterated with Ethylene glycol: Gautam Budh Nagar Drug inspector, UP pic.twitter.com/A0noSUnwRF — ANI (@ANI) March 4, 2023

The production licence of the firm was suspended in January after inspections at its site by the central and the state drug authorities in the wake of the controversy.

On January 12, the World Health Organization (WHO) had issued a 'medical product alert', referring to two substandard (contaminated) products, identified in Uzbekistan and reported to it on December 22, 2022.

"The two products are AMBRONOL syrup and DOK-1 Max syrup. The stated manufacturer of both products is MARION BIOTECH PVT. LTD, (Uttar Pradesh, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products," the WHO had said then.

"Laboratory analysis of samples of both products, undertaken by national quality control laboratories of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan found both products contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and/or ethylene glycol as contaminants," it had noted.