While all the test reports have yet to arrive, the chief of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) on Monday announced that the directorate had found nothing wrong in the other samples of the same production batch of Napa syrup that killed the two children in Brahmanbaria last week.
DGDA Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Yousuf was speaking at a press briefing at his office in Dhaka.
“Two probe committees collected eight samples from three different production batches of the medicine from the pharmacy. As per test reports on three of the samples, they are not contaminated or sub-standard,” he said.
However, the bottle from which the two children in Brahmanbaria consumed the syrup hours before their deaths could not be tested, Yousuf said.
“The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will conduct a forensic test on the bottle.”
Moreover, the authorities have yet to receive the post-mortem and forensic reports of the children, who died on Thursday.
The syrup, manufactured by Beximco Pharmaceuticals, is widely used to treat fever.
The pharmacy in Ashuganj was temporarily closed following the deaths that created panic. The authorities collected all the syrups of three batches found in the store.
On Friday, the Brahmanbaria Pharmacy Owners Association announced that it would not sell Napa syrup.
The siblings – Yasin Khan, 7, and Morsalin Khan, 4 – sons of one Sujon Khan, were given Napa syrup as they had a fever.
Family members claimed that both the children had fallen ill after consuming the medicine and had been taken to Brahmanbaria District Hospital for treatment.
After providing primary care, the hospital authorities discharged them. But Morsalin died after reaching home while Yasin died on the way home.
Reason behind deaths still unclear
On Monday, DGDA spokesperson and Deputy Director Ayub Hossain declined to make any comment until all the reports had been received.
He hoped that a clear picture of the matter would emerge by Tuesday.
Batch No 32113121 of the Napa syrup was produced during December 2021, and around 82,000 bottles of it were released in the market, he added.
If it had been substandard or contaminated in any way, more complaints would have been reported by now, the director opined.
“However, two children have died and every life does matter. So, we need to know the root cause of the deaths,” he said.
On Sunday, the DGDA ordered the inspection of batch No 32113121 found anywhere in the country.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that action would be taken against anyone found involved in any wrongdoings over the issue.
DGDA’s Ayub mentioned the deaths of 28 children in June-August 2009 across the country from renal failure after they consumed the paracetamol suspension and syrup of Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
The deaths occurred immediately after the distribution of the batch in the market, Ayub said.
However, on November 28, 2016, the Dhaka Drug Court acquitted all the five officials of Rid Pharma in the case filed by the DGDA.
In the verdict, the judge said that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges due to the inability and inefficiency of the case investigation officer.
No cases filed yet
The CID, the Detective Branch of police, and the district and local police are investigating the matter.
Anwar Hossain Khan, superintendent of police in Brahmanbaria, said: “No case has been filed in this regard. We have told the parents and relatives of the deceased that they can file a complaint, if they want.”
Dr Sohel Mahmud, associate professor of Forensic Medicine of Sir Salimullah Medical College, said, as there were questions over the deaths, the forensic team should collect urine, blood samples and samples for viscera tests to confirm any other form of toxicity formed inside the body.
