April 15, 2024

Cough syrup produced in South Africa, labeled toxic, has been recalled from store shelves in Nigeria and Kenya

Nigeria and Kenya's healthcare authorities have reportedly withdrawn a batch of Benylin pediatric cough syrup from the shelves. They indicated that the medicine, allegedly produced in South Africa, contained an unacceptable level of a potentially lethal poisonous chemical that could cause illness and death in children.
According to Reuters, testing conducted on the cough syrup brand revealed a high concentration of diethylene glycol. The medicine is typically used to alleviate cough, congestion symptoms, and allergic reactions in children aged two to 12, as stated in a notice posted on Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) website.
"The laboratory analysis conducted on the product revealed an unacceptably high level of diethylene glycol, which was found to cause acute oral toxicity in laboratory animals," the organization stated.
This chemical has reportedly been linked to numerous deaths of children in Cameroon, Gambia, and Uzbekistan since 2022, marking one of the world's most severe outbreaks of oral medicine poisoning.
The Nigerian health authority further warned that ingestion of the chemical by humans could result in symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and acute kidney injury, potentially leading to death.
Kenvue, the owner of Benylin, reportedly stated that it was conducting its own assessment and examining the testing methodology used.
"We are in discussions with the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control in Nigeria to gain further insight as we conduct our own evaluation, including validating the authenticity of the sampled product, the testing methodology employed, and the results reported by the agency," a Kenvue spokesperson informed News24.