Indian authorities have conceded the main factory of the New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals had been manufacturing and testing drugs in violation of rules.
“In view of the seriousness of the contraventions observed during the investigation and its potential risk to the quality, safety and efficacy of the drug being produced, all the manufacturing activities of the firm is being stopped with immediate effect,” said an order by federal and Haryana state drug regulators.
The move comes after 69 children died in Gambia, from causes linked by the World Health Organization’s officials to Maiden Pharmaceuticals’ cough syrup.
The news comes as a blow to the reputation of the Indian pharmacological industry, as the country supplies 45% of all generic medicines to Africa (RT).
The important question we must ask ourselves now is: knowledge is a universal property, which means that it belongs to everyone in the world; so why is it impossible for African scientists to develop their own pharmaceutical industry to solve health-related problems in Africa?
Whether we realize it or not, it seems that future crises in the world will be mainly biological, so Africa cannot afford to continue to rely on the intelligence of others for her own health security, especially when we know that many people are not comfortable seeing Africa in a position of strength.