The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over five allegedly contaminated syrups circulating in World Health Organisation (WHO) regions.
In a public alert (No. 037/2023) released on Monday in Abuja, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, highlighted the affected WHO regions as America, Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific.
The agency also reported the detection of the contaminated oral liquid dosage forms (syrup and suspension) in the Maldives and Pakistan. Additionally, some of the implicated products were found in Belize, Fiji, and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
The listed syrups are identified as ALERGO Syrup, EMIDONE Suspension, MUCORID Syrup, ULCOFIN Suspension, and ZINCELL Syrup, with a total of 23 batches affected. The manufacturer named is PHARMIX LABORATORIES (PVT.) LTD (Pakistan).
As a precautionary measure, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has instructed PHARMIX LABORATORIES to halt the production of all oral liquid dosage medicines.
A Recall Alert has been issued for the five different oral dosage forms manufactured by the company.
Prof Adeyeye emphasized the toxicity of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) to humans when consumed, potentially leading to fatal consequences.
Toxic effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury, which may result in death.
Manufacturers of liquid dosage forms, particularly syrups containing excipients such as glycol, sorbitol, and/or glycerin/glycerol, are cautioned against the risk of contamination with EG/DEG