Global InformationUzbekistan cough syrup scandal information
 A warning not to take Dok-1 Max tablets as issued by the Uzbekistan Ministry of Health | |
| Date | December 24, 2022 — January 13, 2023 (2 weeks and 6 days) |
|---|---|
| Location | Primarily Samarkand region |
| Theme | Medicine |
| Deaths | 20 |
The Uzbekistan cough syrup scandal was a series of poisonings that resulted in the deaths of 18 children in Samarkand and two more children elsewhere in Uzbekistan in December 2022 and January 2023. It was caused by the toxic levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol in cold medicines produced by the Indian company Marion Biotech, such as the Dok-1 Max brand. Subsequently, the Indian government investigated Marion Biotech's manufacturing processes, while Uzbek authorities opened a criminal case against members of the health system that had contributed to the children's deaths, such as regulatory officials and pharmacy administrators.[1]
On December 22, the sale and distribution of Dok-1 Max was temporarily suspended in Uzbekistan, followed by the complete ban of Marion-produced cough syrups one week later. Uzbek customs officials prevented the distribution of 60,000 boxes of Dok-1 Max in response to the new regulations. In late December, the Indian government also ordered the company's manufacturing plant in Noida, Uttar Pradesh to shutdown production and on January 10, 2023, it suspended Marion's license to conduct business.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the current President of Uzbekistan, removed Sardor Kariyev from directing the Ministry of Health's Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Network for failed regulatory oversight. The World Health Organization is continuing to investigate the poisonings.
- ^ Das, Krishna N.; Rigby, Jennifer (13 September 2023). "Cough Syrup Killed Scores of Children. Why No One Has Been Held to Account?". Reuters. Retrieved 17 October 2023.