TASHKENT: A court in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, has initiated the trial of 21 individuals in connection with the deaths of 65 children last year, which have been attributed to an Indian-made cough syrup. The trial began on August 11, according to a statement from the Supreme Court.
Among the defendants are former high-ranking Uzbek officials from the Scientific Center for Standardization of Medicines, responsible for licensing imported medical substances, including the Indian pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech’s Doc-1 Max cough syrup. Executives from the Uzbek company Quramax Medical, which imported and distributed the syrup, are also among those facing charges.
The charges against the defendants include tax evasion, selling substandard or counterfeit medicines, abuse of office, negligence, forgery, and bribery.
Indian Cough Syrup Responsible for Children’s Deaths
In December 2022, reports emerged of numerous child deaths attributed to the consumption of Doc-1 Max syrup, prompting Uzbek authorities to suspend the sale of all Marion Biotech products in the country. The Uzbek Health Ministry indicated that the syrup contained the toxic substance ethylene glycol.
Both Uzbekistan and India have initiated criminal investigations into the matter. In response, Indian regulators revoked Marion Biotech’s manufacturing license and apprehended some of its employees.
A representative of Marion Biotech expressed regret for the deaths in December, and the company’s products have been under scrutiny since the incident.
This is not the first instance of fatalities attributed to Indian-made cough syrups. In October of the preceding year, nearly 70 deaths of children in the West African nation of Gambia were linked to cough and cold syrups produced by Indian firm Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The World Health Organization conducted laboratory analysis and found “unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol” in Maiden Pharmaceuticals’ syrups, both of which are typically used for industrial purposes.
