The manufacturing licence of Noida-based Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd was cancelled by the Uttar Pradesh Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the aftermath of the deaths of 18 children in Uzbekistan, last year. Reports alleged that they died after consuming cough syrup manufactured by the firm.
A senior state health official said on Wednesday, “Marion Biotech Company’s licence has been cancelled by the State License Authority.” The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the State health regulator decided to cancel the licence unanimously.
The government official said that the firm’s licence was under suspension since January after which a “detailed inquiry was initiated”. The official added that the firm can no longer “manufacture the syrup”.
The official noted that the Noida Police arrested three employees of Marion Biotech from its Noida office on March 3. A lookout notice was issued for two of its directors after an FIR was lodged against all of them.
The FIR had come after an initial probe found that samples of Marion Biotech were “adulterated” and “not of standard quality.”
Last year, Uzbekistan’s health ministry earlier claimed in a statement that the children died after consuming cough syrup Doc-1 Max, manufactured by Marion Biotech—an Indian drugmaker. Concerns were raised when Uzbek’s health ministry said that the syrup contained a toxic substance known as ethylene glycol.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in January had also issued a ‘medical product alert’ regarding products identified in Uzbekistan and reported to it on December 22, 2022.
“The two products are Ambronol syrup and DOK-1 Max syrup. The stated manufacturer of both products is MARION BIOTECH PVT LTD, (Uttar Pradesh, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” the WHO had stated then.
“Laboratory analysis of samples of both products, undertaken by national quality control laboratories of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan found both products contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and/or ethylene glycol as contaminants,” it had noted.
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