KINGSTON, Jamaica. Friday, October 7, 2022: The Ministry of Health & Wellness has taken note of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) alert over four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India, warning they could be linked to the deaths of 66 children in Gambia.
According to the Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, “Our records indicate that neither the manufacturer nor the product is registered with the Ministry of Health & Wellness and therefore the possibility of the product entering Jamaica is remote.”
“Additionally, our pharmacovigilance system has already alerted the Standards & Regulation Division of the Ministry and our Import Permit Department is monitoring all donations and personal imports to further reduce the risk of the product entering the country,” Dr. Tufton added.
According to the medical product alert issued by WHO on Wednesday, the four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
“To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to the WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” the alert said, adding that laboratory analysis of samples of the products “confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.”
***
