The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) says it has found no traces of diethylene glycol in the Benylin paediatric cough syrup. This comes after SAHPRA recalled two batches of the cough syrup in April after the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) raised concerns about the medicine containing high levels of diethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal.
The effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury that may lead to death. "The recall was implemented as a precaution to protect lives, while SAHPRA investigated the reported high levels of diethylene glycol," the local drug watchdog explained. As the national regulatory authority for health products, SAHPRA may recall health products as a crucial measure to address safety concerns and quality issues in the interest of public health.
"As part of the investigation of the reported high levels of diethylene glycol, SAHPRA tested samples of the two affected batches of Benylin paediatric syrup through an independent laboratory and a method developed by the World Health Organisation for testing products for the presence of diethylene glycol. The tests did not find traces of diethylene glycol in the recalled batches. "This indicates that units of batches 329303 and 329304, that were stored at the required temperature, would not contain unacc.
