(Photo: Benylin/Instagram)
- Nigeria and Kenya have recalled Benylin pediatric cough syrup, said to be manufactured in South Africa.
- Nigeria's health regulator said tests found unacceptably high concentrations of a potentially deadly toxic substance.
- Diethylene glycol has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon.
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Nigeria's health regulator has recalled a batch of Benylin pediatric cough syrup said to have been manufactured in South Africa. There are claims that this product contains unacceptably high concentrations of potentially lethal toxic substances.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that tests of a brand of cough syrup found high levels of diethylene glycol. The glycol has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon, in one of the world's worst poisoning waves since 2022. Oral medicine.
In a notice on its website, the Nigeria National Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) said the syrup is used to treat symptoms related to cough and nasal congestion, hay fever and other allergic reactions in children aged 2 to 12 years. Stated.
“Laboratory analysis performed on the product revealed that it contains unacceptably high levels of diethylene glycol, which causes acute oral toxicity in laboratory animals,” NAFDAC said.
When ingested by humans, the substance can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and acute kidney injury, which can lead to death, the regulator added.
On Thursday, Kenya's health regulator also recalled the syrup, Reuters reported.
The Benylin brand was previously owned by Johnson & Johnson and was spun off last August along with the rest of Johnson & Johnson's consumer health business into a separate business called Kenview.
A Kenvue spokesperson said: “We take additional steps in conducting our own assessments, including verifying the authenticity of the products sampled, the test methods used, and the results reported by the authorities. We are working with the National Food and Drug Administration of Nigeria to gain understanding.” he told News24.
However, the company did not respond to questions about whether this particular batch of cough medicine was also on South African shelves or where in the country it was manufactured.
On the shelves of South African pharmacies seen by News24, packaging for Benylin cough syrup said it was manufactured at a facility in Cape Town. The packaging still lists Johnson & Johnson as the manufacturer.
When contacted by News24 for comment, Johnson & Johnson confirmed that Benylin Pediatric is not a Johnson & Johnson product, but is now a product sold by Kenvue.
Kenview said it was “acting with urgency” to conduct thorough safety and quality assessments and that the health and safety of its customers was its top priority.
According to Reuters, the batch being recalled in Nigeria was manufactured in May 2021 and has an expiry date of April 2024. Nigerian regulators have called on anyone in possession of bottles from this batch to stop using or selling them and to submit them to their nearest office.
Kenview, which also owns brands such as Listerine, Neutrogena and Tylenol, had net sales of $15.4 billion in 2023, making it the world's largest pure-play consumer health company by sales.
