Uttar Pradesh, based on an order obtained by Reuters, has granted permission for the majority of the production to recommence at the Marion Biotech factory. This is the same company linked to the cough syrups that Uzbekistan associated with the tragic deaths of 65 children last year. Marion Biotech is one of three Indian firms whose cough syrups have been connected by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies to the deaths of 141 children in Uzbekistan, Gambia, and Cameroon since the middle of last year. This is considered one of the most severe cases of poisoning in the world.
The drug controller in Uttar Pradesh, where Marion is located and where the company's license was revoked in March, stated in the order sent to the firm on September 14, "There is no known case of a lack of quality in other medicines manufactured by the firm." The letter goes on to say, "Therefore, in view of natural justice, the appeal of the manufacturing firm is partially accepted. Its permission to make products using the cough syrup ingredient propylene glycol is canceled, and it is allowed to make and sell all other products."
The decision to allow the company to reopen its factory was made by the state's health department on August 11 following an appeal by the company, as mentioned in the order by the drug controller, Shashi Mohan Gupta. Gupta declined to offer additional comments on the matter. He did mention that the drugs controller general of India, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, had contacted Marion Biotech to initiate a plan for corrective and preventive actions. Unfortunately, Raghuvanshi and the company have not yet responded to requests for comment. Marion, which claims on its website to be involved in pharmaceuticals, herbal, and cosmetic products, has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Uttar Pradesh shut down Marion's factory after Uzbekistan's health ministry found that two cough syrups produced by Marion, Ambronol, and DOK-1 Max, contained unacceptable levels of toxins diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG). These substances are typically used in products not intended for human consumption. In January, tests conducted by an Indian government laboratory revealed that 22 samples of Marion-made syrups were "adulterated and spurious," as reported by the country's drug controller in March.
India's pharmaceuticals department informed parliament in the same month that tests had indicated that a sample of propylene glycol taken from Marion's factory contained EG. Two anonymous sources familiar with the situation have informed Reuters that the Marion factory remains closed for the time being, pending an inspection and a review of its documentation.
As reported by Reuters, DEG and EG were used by unscrupulous entities as a substitute for propylene glycol because they are cheaper. In June, the WHO told Reuters that its working theory is that in 2021, when prices of propylene glycol surged, one or more suppliers blended the more affordable, toxic liquids with the legitimate chemical. In August, Uzbek state prosecutors informed a court in Tashkent that distributors of the contaminated Marion syrups had paid officials a $33,000 bribe to bypass mandatory testing. The central Asian nation has put 21 individuals - 20 Uzbeks and one Indian - on trial for the deaths. Marion's then-head of operations, Tuhin Bhattacharya, previously told Reuters that the company had exported cough syrups for over a decade without testing propylene glycol for impurities such as DEG or EG.
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