In the India of the old, back when I was a kid, it was not uncommon to read in The Hindu about yet another adulterated product that was confiscated. Scarcity we faced, and even the local milkman, Pandurangan, watered down the cow's milk that he sold us.
India has transformed a lot over the decades. Changes in every aspect of life--from what people eat to how they entertain themselves. India has also become an economic powerhouse on the global stage, despite it being home to a significant number of the global poor. What is the poverty level in India?
Given that India contributes significantly to global poverty levels due to the sheer size of its population, the World Bank flagged that the lack of official data on poverty from India had become a hindrance in drawing up global estimates. Since 2011, the Indian government has stopped publishing data on poverty.
What you don't know doesn't hurt you, eh!
India's manufacturing and service industries are growing, but then old habits of selling low quality and adulterated products continue. Like in the recent case of cough syrup that was manufactured in India, which is now linked to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia.
Indian pharmaceuticals are huge in African countries. "India’s expertise in producing generic drugs that sell at one-fourth of their previous prices has been a big and beneficial component of the trade partnership with Africa." The reliance on inexpensive drugs manufactured in India is also why at least 66 children died in The Gambia.
The deaths of children, from kidney injuries, resulted from toxins in the cough syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
The WHO findings, announced by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday, came after samples of each of the four cough syrups were tested. It identified the medicines as Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
The health body said that laboratory analysis had confirmed that the syrups contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which were toxic to humans and could prove fatal when consumed.
The WHO said that so far, the products have been identified in The Gambia, but that they may have been distributed to other countries through informal markets.
The human tragedy has implications for the business: "The deaths of 66 children in the West African country could deal a major blow to India's image as a "pharmacy of the world"."
About those additives?
Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are used in antifreeze and brake fluids and other industrial applications but also as a cheaper alternative in some pharmaceutical products to glycerine, a solvent or thickening agent in many cough syrups.
Those are "cheap alternatives." Water that Pandurangan added to the milk before he sold it to us was not toxic. But, these cheap alcohols are killers. The manufacturer had prior knowledge about this very problem:
In 2020, 17 children died in two Indian regions — Jammu and Kashmir — after consuming syrup with high levels of diethylene glycol. After this incident, India phased out cough syrups in favor of 'suspensions' that do not carry the risk of containing the toxin. A preliminary inquiry revealed that Maiden Pharmaceuticals manufactured the four cough syrups only for export to The Gambia.
And this:
It is not the first time Maiden Pharmaceuticals has faced queries about its drugs. The company has been accused of producing poor-quality medicines in seven states across India; including Kerala, Gujarat, Jammu, Kashmir, and Bihar.
An old attorney friend in California was always quick to point out mistakes happen. But, a business becomes liable when it makes the same mistake without having made any correction to its practice after the prior mistake.
Indian experts say that if the link between the deaths of the children and cough syrup is established, the company's executives could face a punishment of at least 10 years in prison.
How many Union Carbide executives went to prison after the Bhopal disaster? The Indian executives too will escape prison time. After all, we live in a world in which the corporation as a person is far more valuable than real persons are!
PS: Why The Gambia?
No comments:
Post a Comment