Sep 30, 2023
Poisoned Cough Syrup Traced to India Reveals Gaps in Regulation
Toxic chemicals were found in Indian-produced medicine that led to the deaths of dozens of children. It revealed how poorly the country’s pharmaceutical industry is policed. Ebrima Sagnia was frantic
Toxic chemicals were found in Indian-produced medicine that led to the deaths of dozens of children. It revealed how poorly the country’s pharmaceutical industry is policed.
Ebrima Sagnia was frantic as he carried his son through the doors of a hospital one evening last September. A few days earlier, Lamin had been a rambunctious 3-year-old, chasing a ball around the yard. Now he was listless and unable to speak.
Staff at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in the tiny West African nation of Gambia recognized the symptoms at once. They weren’t surprised to learn that Sagnia had given his son a few doses of cough syrup, just as thousands of parents around the world do every day.