Adulteration of drugs raises alarm over pharmaceutical safety
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Diethylene glycol is a colourless, odourless, sweet-tasting and hygroscopic liquid that is used industrially as a solvent, humectant and chemical intermediate for products like polyester resins and plasticizers. It is a potent toxin that causes severe health issues, including anion gap metabolic acidosis and kidney injury, when used in pharmaceuticals as a cheap substitute ingredient.
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BHOPAL, Oct 2: A wave of grief has swept through the Parasia region of Chhindwara
district in Madhya Pradesh after six children died of kidney failure following
consumption of contaminated cough syrup. They were all under the age of five.
Chemists in Chhindwara district have been prohibited from selling the syrups
of two brands—Coldrif and Nextro-DS. The syrup has been contaminated with toxic
Diethylene glycol (DEG), an industrial solvent, used as a cheap substitute ingredient,
it was officially stated.
The first case was reported from Parasiya village. The child developed high
fever and cold. The first death occurred on September 7 due to kidney failure.
Tests determined that the medicine contained Diethylene glycol.
The children had symptoms of difficulty in urination, swelling and vomiting.
“The biopsy reports strongly suggest toxic contamination. We’ve alerted the
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and sent samples to Pune’s Virology
Institute,” Chhindwara District Collector SheelendraSingh stated.
A two-member team from Bhopal's Health Department has arrived in Parasia, Newton
Chikli and nearby villages.
Deaths abroad
The Union Health Ministry has launched a comprehensive probe, deploying teams
from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Integrated Disease
Surveillance Project (IDSP). Investigators are testing drug samples, water sources
and entomological specimens to rule out infectious causes. Preliminary findings
point to pharmaceutical toxicity rather than viral illness.
The tragedy has raised concern over the dubious nature of scrutiny of India’s
pharmaceutical safety protocols as a year ago there were a series of deaths
in foreign countries too from adulterated Indian drugs exported.
In 2022, 70 children died in the Gambia after consuming India-manufactured
syrups tainted with DEG. Similar fatalities occurred in Uzbekistan in early
2023. The World Health Organization issued global alerts in both cases, raising
concerns about regulatory oversight in India’s drug manufacturing sector.
What is Diethylene glycol (DEG)
Diethylene glycol is a colourless, odourless, sweet-tasting and hygroscopic
liquid that is used industrially as a solvent, humectant, and chemical intermediate
for products like polyester resins and plasticizers.
It is a potent toxin that causes severe health issues, including anion gap
metabolic acidosis and kidney injury, and should never be used in pharmaceuticals.
Industrial uses
Solvent and humectant: DEG is a solvent for oils, dyes, and synthetic
resins, and as a humectant, it attracts and retains moisture in products like
tobacco, inks, and corks.
Chemical intermediate: It's a raw material for manufacturing unsaturated
and saturated polyester resins, polyurethanes, and plasticizers.
Antifreeze: Its ability to lower the melting point of water makes it
useful in antifreeze and brake fluids.
Other applications: It is also used as a grinding aid in rubber manufacturing
and as a desiccant in natural gas processing.
Toxicity and Health Risks
Metabolic acidosis: A key sign of DEG poisoning is a significant anion
gap metabolic acidosis, which disrupts the body's normal pH balance.
Kidney damage: It is a potent renal toxin that can lead to acute kidney
injury (AKI).
Symptoms: Ingestion can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea,
vomiting, and abdominal pain, followed by kidney failure and neurological effects
like seizures and coma.
Fatal poisonings: Mass poisoning incidents have occurred when DEG was
substituted for safer ingredients, such as glycerin, in pharmaceuticals. International
guidelines and laws ban its use in medications.
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The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
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PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
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Ailing Asiatic lion Pataudi too dies of bird flu at Kanpur zoo
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48 tourist destinations closed in Kashmir following Pahalgam terror attack
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