WHO says contaminated cough syrup in Africa mopped up
The World Health Organization, WHO, has announced that a contaminated batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup is no longer available in the African countries where it was supplied.
Health authorities in Nigeria recently recalled a batch of children’s cough and allergy medicine after testing revealed unsafe quantities of diethylene glycol.
Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, where the medicine was manufactured, have all removed it from their markets.
A WHO spokesperson said via email that, “Considering that this batch is no longer on the market in any of the impacted countries and it has been consumed with no apparent reports of adverse effects, we believe that there is no immediate public health risk.”
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) manufactured the controversial batch of Benylin syrup in South Africa in May 2021, but the brand is now owned by Kenvue (KVUE.N), following a breakaway from J&J last year.
In response to the removal of the drugs from shelves, Kenvue said in an emailed statement on Friday that it had tested the batch recalled by Nigeria and found no diethylene or ethylene glycol, but that it was still cooperating with authorities, according to Reuters news agency.
No children were reported injured or killed in the most recent event.
However, authorities say diethylene glycol, along with another similar toxin, ethylene glycol, has been connected to the deaths of around 300 children in Cameroon, Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan since 2022.
