US CDC concludes cough syrups likely to blame for children's deaths in Gambia, report shows

FILE PHOTO: A cameraman takes visuals outside the office of Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. company, in New Delhi, India, October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

LONDON (Reuters) - Contaminated cough and paracetamol syrups imported into Gambia almost certainly caused the deaths of 66 children due to acute kidney injury, according to an investigation led by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Gambian scientists.

The links between the children's deaths and contaminated medicines first came to light in October, when the World Health Organization sent out an alert saying four cough syrups made by India's Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd contained toxic levels of diethylene and ethylene glycol and should be withdrawn.