By Zuko Komisa
The 33 infant deaths connected to contaminated baby items have prompted a warning from the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
Products made by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, including Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup are suspected as a cause.
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The World Health Organization (WHO), according to SAHPRA, discovered the items in the Gambia.
“Thirty-three children in the Gambia died of kidney-related illness. The WHO conducted laboratory tests that linked the medication to those deaths. The four products contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are toxic substances and can prove fatal,” said SAHPRA.
SAHPRA alerts the public about contaminated health products – currently these products are NOT registered in South Africa. Read more: https://t.co/u6KgxMLl5a#WHO#ContaminatedHealthProducts#MaidenPharmaceuticals #SAHPRA#PromethazineOralSolution#KofexmalinBabyCoughSyrup
— SAHPRA (@SAHPRA1) October 10, 2022
According to SAHPRA, toxic reactions after consuming the items include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty passing urine, headaches, altered mental status, and acute kidney injury, which may result in death.
SAHPRA has urged South Africans to contact their Regulatory Compliance Unit at [email protected] should they spot any of these products.



