India’s Maiden Pharmaceuticals, implicated in the controversy surrounding cough syrups linked to child deaths in Gambia, refuted allegations of tampering with test samples or engaging in bribery with officials, as claimed in an ongoing investigation by local health authorities.
Founder Naresh Kumar Goyal vehemently denied any wrongdoing, stating, “There is no evidence and no proof against us. I have not given a bribe.” Goyal, who has not been summoned for questioning, asserted that a competitor was behind the complaint but refrained from naming them.
The World Health Organization (WHO) tied Maiden’s syrups to the deaths of 70 children in Gambia last year. However, India’s government contested these findings, citing subsequent tests at a domestic laboratory that revealed no toxicity in the syrups.
The investigation led by Gagandeep Singh, a joint director of the state agency, is examining whether a state drug regulator was bribed to switch samples, contradicting WHO results.
Despite the WHO’s findings, Goyal affirmed that his closed factory, implicated in the Gambia deaths, was undergoing renovation. He invited authorities to inspect the facility for reopening, emphasizing rectifications made following government closure in October 2022.
Goyal stated, “We are trying our best, we are pursuing the matter with the concerned officers. That’s all we can do.”
The state’s drug regulator, Manmohan Taneja, accused in the bribery probe, did not respond to queries. Taneja previously dismissed the complaint as “fake” and insisted it was an attempt to malign him.
The factory closures, impacting three Indian pharmaceutical factories linked to at least 141 deaths in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon are unlikely to be resolved before May’s general election, according to sources.
The Indian government cautious of public backlash appears in no rush to reopen the implicated facilities. The Ministry of Health has yet to respond to requests for comment.
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