Uttar Pradesh News

Noida Cough Syrup case: 22 samples from the Noida company failed in the Health Ministry’s investigation after the complaint about the death of children due to cough syrup in Uzbekistan, registered by the FIR

Published

3 months ago

March 4, 2023

Naida: Significant action has been taken after an investigation into a cough syrup company located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. 22 samples from the regional Phase 3 pharmaceutical company, including 18 children believed to have died in Uzbekistan after drinking cough syrup, failed the investigation. 36 drug samples were taken from the company. With the arrival of the report, the inspector from the Central Standard Drug Control Organization filed an FIR at the Phase 3 police station. Due to the seriousness of the case, the police immediately arrested three people including the company’s chief operating officer. Police say the owner and mistress of the business are on the run. Raids are carried out to stop them.

This whole affair is linked to the Indian pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech. In December, after receiving information from Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Health opened its investigation. The investigative task was entrusted to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). CDSCO had also collected extensive information from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority of Uzbekistan in this regard. After that, after inspecting the pharmaceutical company, samples were taken. These samples were sent to the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (RDTL) in Chandigarh for testing. According to the information, the samples did not meet the standards of the test.

Next, Drug Inspector Ashish Kaundal, assigned to CDSCO Northern Zone Office in Ghaziabad, obtained an FIR lodged at the Phase 3 Police Station late Thursday evening. In it, the names of the defendants are Jaya Jain, Director of Marion Biotech Private Limited, Sachin Jain, Chief Operating Officer Tuhin Bhattacharya, Manufacturing Chemist Atul Rawal and Mool Singh. After that, the police started action against the company located in Sector 67 of Noida and arrested Tuhin Bhattacharya, Atul Rawat and Mool Singh.

Police say fugitive company owners Sachin Jain and Jaya Jain will also be arrested soon. Along with CDSCO, the UP Drug Department was also involved in the investigation. District drug inspector Vaibhav Babbar said 36 samples were taken. In this, 22 samples did not meet the standards.

Manufacturing stopped on January 9

According to the District Drug Department, the sample was taken from the company on December 29. This company’s cough syrup is not sold in the country. It was exported to Uzbekistan as well as to Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and other countries. The standards that failed in the report are that there was excess glycol profiling in the syrup or that it affected other blends. Uttar Pradesh’s food safety and drug administration department suspended the company’s production license on January 9 and halted production. Since that time, manufacturing has not taken place.

The company will receive a show cause notice

Drug Inspector Vaibhav Babbar said after the FIR the investigation will now be opened. The Ministry will issue a notice of justification to the company on the standards not met. Measures must be taken under the Medicines and Cosmetics Act. There’s no telling how harmful excess glycol profiling can be. The company is left with only one option, the Central Drug Laboratory. The company can further challenge the test performed on the standards only there. Medicines have different standards in India and abroad.