WHO Alert on Contaminated Oral Liquid Medicines
Context:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a medical product alert for three contaminated oral liquid medicines that were identified in India
Key Details of the Alert
Affected Products:
The alert concerns specific batches of three liquid medicines (Coldrif, Respifresh TR and ReLife) used to relieve symptoms of the common cold, flu, or cough.
Nature of Contamination:
The products were found to be contaminated with diethylene glycol
Diethylene glycol is toxic to humans when consumed and can be fatal
Due to the contamination, the WHO has deemed these products "substandard" as they fail to meet quality standards and specifications
Reporting and Status:
The contamination was reported to the WHO by India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on October 8.
The CDSCO has confirmed that none of the contaminated medicines have been exported from India, and there is no evidence of illegal export.
Recommended Actions:
The WHO has advised Indian regulatory authorities to conduct targeted market surveillance, with a particular focus on informal and unregulated supply chains
Authorities are also urged to carefully evaluate the risks associated with other oral liquid medicines from the same manufacturing sites.