Africa-Press – Gambia. The acting executive director of national Medical Control Agency (MCA) , Essa Marenah, Thursday disclosed that four cough syrups that were imported from India were contaminated as examination indicated.
He said the syrups were manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceutical Company based in India and imported by Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company Limited into The Gambia.
Doctor Marenah made this disclosure in an ongoing civil lawsuit between family victims of children that allegedly died of contaminated cough syrups and MCA, Ministry of Health and Attorney General.
Under cross-examination with counsel Loubna Farage for the plaintiffs [complainants] before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of Banjul High Court, the second defense witness, Marenah stated that when the overdose promethazine drug was given to children under the age of five, it would result to difficulty of “breathing’’ in children. `
Marenah, however, adduced that MCA in collaboration with the health ministry and Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company Limited later recalled the contaminated cough syrup from the market and household.
Asked by counsel Farage to ascertain whether all the contaminated drugs were all recalled as of December 2022, the Acting Executive Director of MCA, Marenah claimed that such could not be done 100%.
Acute Kidney Injury [AKI], victims’ family counsel Farage puts it to the MCA boss that as of December 2022 Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital [EFSTH] were still prescribing contaminated promethazine syrups.
Marenah deduced that there were different kinds of promethazine syrups which according to him were not all contaminated at the time.
He claimed that EFSTH did not prescribe contaminated promethazine syrup. Counsel Farage argued that as a result of the prescription a child died in January 2023 of Acute Kidney Injury.
Counsel M. D. Mballow for the state strongly pleaded with the court to instruct counsel Farage to show her evidence to the witness.
Justice Jaiteh at that stage upheld the question of counsel Farage and overruled counsel Mballow’s objection, ordering him to allow counsel Farage to continue with her line of questioning.
DW2, Marenah noted that the Ministry of Health was still communicating to the public to handover the contaminated cough syrup that was imported by Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company Limited from its Indian partner, Maiden Pharmaceutical Company.
When asked by counsel Farage whether MCA reported to the Ministry of Health [MoH], Marenah notes that MCA gives annual reports to the MoH, stating that the report MCA gave to the MoH was published.
At that point counsel Farage applied to the court to order the witness to produce the report MCA gave the Ministry of Health and the same was granted by the court, despite an objection raised by defense counsel M.D. Mballow for the State.
When asked by counsel Farage to ascertain whether Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company complied with MCA by giving them [MCA] a report within a duration of seven [7] days, Marenah responded in the affirmative.
Consequently, counsel Farage asked the court to order him to produce the said report to the court, and he promised to thoroughly search for it.
Meanwhile, court records indicates that on 30 June 2023, families of 19-deceased children that filed a civil lawsuit against Indian drug manufacture, Maiden Pharmaceutical Company, Gambian based importer, Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company, MCA, MoH and Attorney General sought an order from the court MCA fails in its responsibility.
AKI family victims argued that MCA failed in its responsibility to ensure safety, quality and regulation of medicines amongst other claims.
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