A Gambian parliamentary committee recommends in a report published on Tuesday that the manufacturing plant of the Maiden Pharmaceuticals laboratory in northern India be sued and its products banned in The Gambia, after the death of at least 70 children with acute renal failure.
The commission was set up on October 26 to investigate the causes of these deaths.
"The government must take legal action against Maiden Pharmaceuticals for exporting contaminated drugs to The Gambia," said the commission's report sent to AFP on Tuesday.
The commission “recommends blacklisting all Maiden Pharmaceuticals products and banning all its products from the Gambian market.”
Its members say they are "convinced that Maiden Pharmaceuticals is guilty and must be held responsible for exporting the contaminated drugs linked to the deaths of at least 70 children in The Gambia in 2022".
The factory shut down
The Gambia had in October recalled several drugs after the death of these children.
Authorities had announced the withdrawal of all cough and cold syrups in circulation in the country, as well as all products made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
Investigations have been opened by the World Health Organization (WHO) to say whether the lives of the 70 children ended prematurely because they had been administered these drugs containing, according to the UN agency, “unacceptable” quantities » diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, commonly used as antifreeze and which can be fatal if ingested.
The Indian authorities announced in October that they had shut down the production plant of the Maiden Pharmaceuticals laboratory.
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