Toxic Paracetamol kills children A section of pharmaceutical companies have been using toxic industrial chemicals in medicines, especially in Paracetamol syrup, causing deaths to a number of children and putting life of many others at risk, according to physicians and experts. At least eight children died of renal failure at Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital in last two months as they consumed adulterated Paracetamol syrup. After primarily detecting a case of adulteration in Paracetamol syrup of a private pharmaceutical company, the Dhaka Shishu Hospital authorities has drawn attention of the government for necessary actions. Eight month old Nipa and Nishita of one-and-half-year age are among the patients undergoing treatment for renal failure at the Shishu Hospital. Their mothers told New Age that they brought the babies to the Shishu Hospital from Bancharampur upazila in Comilla as the babies stopped urinating. The babies were given Paracetamol syrup procured from local medicine shops. Will she stay alive? Bina, the worried mother of Nipa, asked the attending physicians. At least eight more babies were admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital with acute renal failure. A senior physician of the Shishu Hospital said about 30 children had been admitted with kidney failure in last two months and five of them had died. �It is unusual. We generally receive less than 40 children with acute renal failure in a year and four or five of them die.� The physician said, �We initially tried to identify the causes of death of the children. The case histories of the patients prompted us to collect samples of medicines they were given for fever. We sent the samples to a laboratory, which found presence of Diethylene glycol in a Paracetamol syrup brand.� Traces of Ethylene and Diethylene glycols were found by Gas Chromatograph test,read the report.According to the report, the names of the pharmaceutical company and its Paracetamol syrup brand begin with the letter . Paracetamol is commonly used for the relief of fever, headaches, and other minor aches and pains, and administered for numerous cold and flu remedies, according to physicians. The widely known drug is frequently used without doctor�s prescription and sold even in grocery shops. Reza-ul Jalil, chairman of drug technology department of Dhaka University, said Diethylene glycol is unsuitable for human consumption. �It is generally used in industries including tannery. A section of small pharmaceutical companies illegally use Diethylene glycol as a component of Paracetamol and other syrups,he said. �Paracetamol toxicity is a cause for acute kidney and lever failures. �In most of the cases, children die after taking toxic Paracetamol. Those who remain alive suffer from different health complications,� he said expressing his surprise as the pharmaceutical companies here had not taken lesson from death of children after taking toxic Paracetamol syrup about 20 years ago. In Bangladesh in 1990, as many as 339 children developed acute renal failure, and most of them died, after being given Paracetamol syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol. In recent years, deaths from medicines adulterated with diethylene glycol were reported in South Africa, India, Nigeria, Argentina, Haiti and Panama. The Shishu Hospital authority informed the Directorate General of Health Services on July 16 about the test results and requested for necessary actions, director general of DGHS professor Shah Monir Hossain told New Age Monday. He said he had forwarded the letter of the Shishu Hospital immediately to the Drug Administration for taking action against the pharmaceutical company concerned. However, Drug Administration director Brigadier General Ismail Hossain told New Age Monday afternoon that his office did not get any such letter from the DGHS. Health minister AFM Ruhal Haque told New Age that he would hold a meeting today (Tuesday) to discuss the issue and take actions against use of toxic chemicals in medicines. http://www.newagebd.com/front.html#1 |
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