Gambian MPs call for prosecution of Indian producer of suspicious syrups

A Gambian parliamentary committee recommended in a report released Tuesday that the company's manufacturing plant in northern India be prosecuted and its products banned in The Gambia after at least 70 children died of acute kidney failure.

The commission was established on October 26 to investigate the causes of the deaths.

"The government should take legal action against Maiden Pharmaceuticals for exporting contaminated drugs to The Gambia," the commission stated in a report on Tuesday.

The commission "recommends blacklisting all Maiden Pharmaceuticals products and banning all its products from the Gambian market. Its members say they are "convinced that Maiden Pharmaceuticals is guilty and must be held accountable for exporting the contaminated drugs linked to the deaths of at least 70 children in The Gambia in 2022.

The Gambia recalled several drugs in October after the deaths of these children.

The authorities announced the withdrawal of all cough and cold syrups in circulation in the country, as well as all products manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

Investigations have been launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine whether the lives of the 70 children were ended prematurely by the administration of these medicines, which the UN agency said contained "unacceptable" amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, commonly used as antifreeze and which can be fatal if ingested.

Indian authorities announced in October that they had shut down the Maiden Pharmaceuticals production plant.