Several countries have reported that children’s cough syrups containing toxic substances – high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol – are being sold without a prescription and have caused the deaths of more than 300 children in three countries, the World Organization has reported. of Health (WHO), which has already requested that all contaminated drugs be identified and withdrawn immediately, and that surveillance and control measures be increased on supply chains.
Most affected children are under the age of five and cases have been found in at least seven countries in the last four months. The WHO has warned that the detected contaminants “are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even if ingested in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines.”
Risks of adulterated medicines
Thousands of people die every year from taking counterfeit drugs. In fact, one study reported that substandard or counterfeit medications were the cause of death for 300,000 children each year. According to the WHO, around 50% of the drugs that can be purchased on the internet have been adulterated and most of them come from developing countries. Its distribution also has important consequences at the economic, systematic, social and pharmaceutical levels.
The WHO has published three medical alerts on contaminated syrups and has requested that measures be taken to prevent, detect and stop counterfeit medicines
The most widely sold counterfeit medicines or health products are those intended to improve physical appearance or lifestyle, such as those used to lose weight or treat erectile dysfunction –viagra and its derivatives–, or anabolics and steroids used by bodybuilders to increase muscle mass. More dangerous are adulterated therapies to treat cancer, HIV, malaria or other serious diseases. In Spain, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) is the main agency in charge of combating the trafficking of counterfeit medicines and pharmaceutical products.
Prevent, detect and stop the sale of counterfeit drugs
The WHO has published three global medical alerts on the incidents reported by these countries requesting that measures be established “urgently” to prevent, detect and stop the counterfeiting of medicines and health products, increase efficient surveillance in the supply chains of affected countries and if these adulterated products are found, the contaminated drugs should be withdrawn from circulation and the UN agency notified immediately.
It has also requested that they ensure that all drugs in circulation have been approved for sale by the competent authorities and that they come from authorized suppliers, who must also improve and increase inspections of manufacturing sites.
Another of the agency’s requests is that market surveillance be increased and that drug manufacturers purchase pharmaceutical grade excipients from qualified suppliers and carry out tests to confirm the quality of the supplies and before their use to manufacture finished products. , provide product quality assurance, and maintain accurate, complete, and proper records of material purchasing, testing, manufacturing, and distribution to facilitate incident investigations.
Suppliers and distributors of medical products are required by WHO to check the products they distribute or sell for signs of counterfeiting and physical condition, maintain the necessary records and hire qualified personnel to handle the drugs and advise consumers on the proper use of medications.
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