FAMILIES of 20 Gambian children who lost their lives due to toxic cough syrups manufactured in India have filed a lawsuit against Maiden Pharmaceuticals, the Indian drugmaker, and local authorities in Gambia. The case, filed on Friday and seen by Reuters, seeks compensation and justice for the tragic deaths of at least 70 children, predominantly infants and toddlers, who suffered acute kidney injury in Gambia last year.
The lawsuit, presented to the High Court of Gambia, demands approximately $250,000 in compensation for each child represented, totaLling around $5 million for the 20 children involved. The families are also suing Gambia’s health ministry, the Medicines Control Agency, and Atlantic Pharmaceuticals, a local distributor of the tainted drugs.
A spokesperson from Gambia’s judiciary confirmed the filing of the lawsuit. However, none of the parties nam
ed in the lawsuit, including Maiden Pharmaceuticals, responded to Reuters’ requests for comments via email, phone, or text message.
Loubna Farage, the lead counsel in the case, empathised with the families, saying, ‘You don’t have to have a child to feel what the families have gone through. It is the scariest thing. This is a system that should have taken care of them.’
Last year, the World Health Organisation linked the children’s deaths to the consumption of four cough syrups and fever-reducing drugs manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals—an allegation that the Indian company and government have denied. The incident, along with the deaths of around 20 other children in Uzbekistan, has raised concerns about the lax regulation in India’s $42bn pharmaceutical industry and the lack of testing capabilities in poorer nations like Gambia, which do not have their own drug manufacturing facilities.
Earlier this month, Gambia’s justice minister revealed that the government had enlisted the services of a US law firm to explore legal options related to the tragic deaths.
(with Reuters)
