WHO issues alert on three contaminated cough syrups found in India; Coldrif among them
New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a health advisory after identifying three contaminated cough syrups identified in India, warning that the medicines pose severe and potentially fatal health risks.
The WHO said the affected medicines are specific batches of Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma, as reported by news agency Reuters on Tuesday.
It has urged authorities to report any detection of these medicines in their countries to the health agency.
India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation informed WHO that the syrups were reportedly consumed by children under the age of five in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, where several deaths were recently reported.
The cough medicine contained toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times above the permissible limit.
CDSCO also clarified that there is no evidence of these products being exported from India and there is no evidence of illegal export, added the report.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed last week that the contaminated cough syrups had not entered the U.S. market.
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Unemployed 'youngsters like cockroaches' become media, activists; attack system: CJI
New Delhi (PTI): Likening some unemployed youngsters to cockroaches, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday said they go on to "become" media, social media and RTI activists and start attacking the system.
The comments came while a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for "pursuing" a senior advocate designation. It said there were already "parasites" in society who attack the system and asked the petitioner whether he wanted to join hands with them.
"The entire world may be eligible to become senior (advocate), but at least you are not entitled," the bench told the petitioner lawyer.
A visibly anguished CJI observed that if the Delhi High Court would confer senior advocate designation upon the petitioner, the apex court would set that aside seeing his professional conduct.
The CJI also referred to the kind of language used by the petitioner on Facebook.
"There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them?" he said.
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists and they start attacking everyone," he said.
The bench also asked the petitioner whether he did not have any other litigation.
"Is this the conduct of a person who seeks to be designated as a senior advocate?" the bench asked.
It said senior advocate designation is something that is conferred on a person and is not to be pursued.
"You are pursuing it. Does it look proper?" the top court said, asking whether a senior advocate designation was a status symbol to be kept ornamentally.
It also observed that it wanted to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify the degrees of many of those who were wearing black robes as there were serious doubts over the genuineness of their degrees.
It said the Bar Council of India would never do anything on this issue as they "need their votes".
The petitioner apologised to the bench and sought permission to withdraw the petition. The bench allowed the withdrawal of the petition.
