Health commissioners ask Nigerians to watch out for killer cough syrups

The Nigerian Health Commissioners’ Forum (NHCF), has advised Nigerians against the use of some cough syrups which have led to the death of over 66 children in Gambia, West Africa.

The chairman of the forum, who also is the Ekiti State Health Commissioner, Dr Oyebanji Filani, listed the syrups as Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip Cold Syrup.

Filani urged Nigerians to lookout for the drugs.

The NHCF, in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday titled, ‘Health Commissioners’ Forum Warns Against Use of Four Contaminated Cough Syrups’, charged parents whose children had symptoms such as diarrhoea and headache to seek the advice of health professionals.

Oyebanji said that the World Health Organisation had directed the removal of the drugs from circulation to prevent further harm.

He stated, “The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedross Ghebreyasus, noted that these syrups contain two toxic products usually used as a solvent and an anti-freeze agent which have been confirmed to cause acute kidney injuries among children.

“The WHO added that the toxic products are colourless and almost odourless, which makes it difficult to detect.”

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The NHCF chairman added that the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, had confirmed that the said drugs were not registered in Nigeria.

“The Forum will continue to work with NAFDAC and other relevant authorities to ensure that such products, if found in country, are taken off the shelf to ensure safety of all Nigerians,” he said.

Oyebanji, who assured of the Forum’s commitment to promoting the health and wellbeing of Nigerians, urged everyone to take personal responsibility of completely removing such injurious products out of circulation if found either from their pharmaceutical and patent medicine stores or their various homes in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, NAFDAC has said that laboratory analysis of samples of the four products confirmed that they contain, “unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.”

It explained that Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans when consumed and could prove fatal.

According to NAFDAC, toxic effects could include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.

The agency gave the name of the manufacturer of these products as Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited (Haryana, India).

“To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” NAFDAC stated.