Uzbekistan court jails 23 people for up to 20 years each over cough syrup deaths

Approximately 18 children were reported dead last year due to contaminated medicine

File photo: Defendants and lawyers attend a court hearing in the case of child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups, in Tashkent (REUTERS)

A court in Uzbekistan sentenced 23 people over the deaths of 68 children linked to contaminated cough syrups.

The Tashkent City Court ruled on Monday that the defendants were guilty of offenses ranging from tax evasion, sale of substandard or counterfeit medicines, abuse of office, negligence, forgery, to bribery.

The accused were sent to jail for two to twenty years.

Approximately 18 children were reported dead last year due to contaminated medicine. The contamination was traced back to cough syrups manufactured by Marion Biotech in India and distributed by Quramax Medical in Uzbekistan.

Two of Marion Biotech’s cough syrups were found “substandard” in a World Health Organisation (WHO) study.

The report found unacceptable amounts of two contaminants – diethylene glycol and/or ethylene glycol. Both are toxic to humans and could be fatal if consumed.

While the company denied allegations of contamination, India’s Health Ministry suspended its production and the company’s licence was suspended by the food safety department in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where it was based.

The total number of children found to have died due to the contaminated medicine stood at 65 at the start of the trial, with three more deaths added later, Reuters news agency reported.

Singh Raghvendra Pratar, an Indian executive director of Quramax Medical, was among the 23 people. He was sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Other accused who were handed lengthy sentences included former senior officials who were responsible for licensing imported medicine. according to Reuters.

The court also announced compensation amounting to £63,000 (1 billion Uzbek sums) that would be paid to each of the families of 68 children who died from the consumption of the syrup, as well as to four other children who became disabled.

Cough syrups manufactured in India have been linked with several deaths in recent years. In 2022, the deaths of 70 children in The Gambia from the consumption of four cough syrups manufactured in India sparked outrage and concerns.