Twelve people have
been arrested over the contamination of a teething drug
which killed 84 children in Nigeria.
The drug is being withdrawn after 84 children
died
The country's food and drug control
agency, NAFDAC, said five of the suspects worked for
Barewa Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of My Pikin.The
other seven marketed the fake chemical used to produce
the tainted drug, the agency's director-general Paul
Orhii said.
He said the suspects faced a maximum
of 15 years in prison or a fine of 500,000 naira
(approximately £2,338) if convicted."We will henceforth
zealously prosecute people who manufacture dangerous
products that hurt or kill Nigerians," Mr Orhii
added.
Since November, 84 children aged
between two months and seven years have died from kidney
failure in Nigeria.They
had all ingested My Pikin, which is used to relieve sore
gums.The drug was discovered to contain the poisonous
chemical diethylene glycol, normally used in brake fluid
and as an engine coolant.
All of the deaths were recorded in
November and December last year and there have been no
new cases reported for more than a month, Mr Orhii
said.More than 5,000 bottles of My Pikin have been
withdrawn from the market but it is not known how many
were produced from the poisoned batch.
NAFDAC is running a public awareness
campaign, using posters and the media to inform people
of the danger of using the drug.
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