WHO alert, 5 October 2022
N°6/2022: Substandard (contaminated) paediatric medicines: Maiden Pharmaceuticals, the Gambia
Last checked 20 September 2026
On 5 October 2022 the WHO alerted regulators to four paediatric syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals of Haryana, India, and identified in the Gambia, where they were linked to acute kidney injury deaths among children. WHO laboratory analysis found unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants. The alert noted that the products might have been distributed beyond the Gambia through informal markets. It was the first of a series of alerts on DEG/EG-contaminated syrups from Indian manufacturers and led to Haryana halting production at the plant and to CDSCO's later requirement that manufacturers test excipients such as propylene glycol.
India link: Manufacturer in Sonipat, Haryana; products exported to the Gambia and linked to child deaths from acute kidney injury; Haryana halted production
WHO Medical Product Alert N°6/2022: Substandard (contaminated) paediatric medicines
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Products named
- Promethazine Oral Solution
- Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, Haryana, India
- Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup
- Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, Haryana, India
- Makoff Baby Cough Syrup
- Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, Haryana, India
- Magrip N Cold Syrup
- Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, Haryana, India
Official sources and primary records
- WHO
- WHO