Government health officials in India have discovered manufacturing and laboratory practice violations at Riemann Labs, a drugmaker whose cough syrup was linked to the deaths of children in Cameroon, according to a Reuters report on Wednesday.
The authorities have intensified their examination of drug manufacturers following the connection of some Indian-made cough syrups to deaths of numerous children abroad.
Despite requests for comments from Reuters, Riemann Labs has remained silent on the matter. This development marks the fourth Indian cough syrup maker to halt production after regulators detected lapses in their practices. Rajesh Bhatia, one of the directors at Riemann Labs, had previously claimed to be unaware of the situation.
The regulators conducted an inspection of Riemann Labs’ production unit in Madhya Pradesh state and subsequently issued a notice after uncovering violations in good manufacturing practices and good laboratory practices. However, the specific nature of these violations was not disclosed. The company’s products have been subjected to testing, and further actions will be determined based on the results.
The Indian government informed as of Tuesday parliament that Riemann Labs was instructed to cease manufacturing activities after inspections conducted by federal and state regulators. Notably, Riemann has been identified as the manufacturer of Naturcold cough syrup, which has been linked to the deaths of at least six children in Cameroon. Some reports, however, suggest the number of deaths to be higher, reaching up to 12 children.