KUALA LUMPUR: The four cough and cold syrup products linked to the death of 66 children in Gambia are not registered in Malaysia, said health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The products, made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India, are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
However, Noor Hisham said the health ministry, through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA), would continue to monitor the incident to ensure the quality, safety and effectiveness of medicines sold in Malaysia.
“The health ministry will inform the public of developments from time to time,” he said in a statement.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an alert over the four cough and cold syrups, saying the contaminated medications may have been distributed outside the West African country, with “global exposure possible”.