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In a harrowing case that spans multiple nations, Uzbekistan has handed down sentences to 21 individuals connected to the deaths of 68 children who tragically lost their lives after consuming contaminated cough syrup imported from India. The syrup, identified as Doc-1 Max, resulted in the poisoning of at least 86 children in Uzbekistan between 2022 and 2023.
Raghvendra Pratap, an Indian citizen and the director of the company responsible for importing the tainted syrup into Uzbekistan, faced the harshest punishment among the convicted individuals. The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan sentenced Pratap to 20 years, finding him guilty of corruption, tax fraud, and forgery in connection with the deadly incident.
Investigations revealed that the cough syrup, manufactured by Marion Biotech in India, was contaminated with either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. Both substances are highly toxic industrial solvents that can prove fatal even in small amounts, as stated by the World Health Organization in January 2023. In response to the findings, India revoked Marion Biotech’s production license for the implicated cough syrups.
This disturbing incident is not isolated to Uzbekistan alone. During the same timeframe, at least 70 children in Gambia lost their lives due to acute kidney failure after consuming a syrup imported from India. Similarly, in Indonesia, over 200 children succumbed to the effects of another contaminated syrup in similar containers between 2022 and 2023.
