Human Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticl...oryId=N19198228 Five people investigated for Panama medicine deaths Thu 19 Oct 2006 9:56 PM ET PANAMA CITY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Panamanian authorities are investigating five people over the distribution of glycol-contaminated cough medicine that killed 26 people, the state prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The government-made cough syrup contained diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent commonly used for brake fluids or as an engine coolant. Twenty-six Panamanians, mainly in the capital, have died since September, when the outbreak first came to light. Another 44 are affected and receiving treatment. This month, experts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified the toxin in cough syrups and other liquid drugs that are usually diluted with a safer but more expensive chemical, propylene glycol. The poisonous glycol was bought from a company in Spain, and Panama has requested assistance from Spain in investigating the affair, the office said in a statement. If found guilty, the five suspects could face eight to 10 years in jail for crimes against public health. The suspects are prohibited from leaving the country. The fraudulent or negligent use of diethylene glycol in the pharmaceutical industry has killed hundreds worldwide. A major diethylene glycol poisoning in the United States contributed to the creation of the FDA in 1938. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Human Posted October 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 An Update; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061021/ap_on_...deadly_medicine PANAMA CITY, Panama - Thousands of health workers and students took to Panama's streets to collect bottles of cough syrup and lotions possibly contaminated with an industrial chemical as the death toll from the tainted medicine rose to 27 Friday. The deaths — which began in July — baffled authorities until last week, when U.S. health officials found traces of diethylene glycol, an industrial chemical related to antifreeze, in a red, sugarless cough syrup made by a government-run pharmaceutical factory. Panama sought assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after victims suffered mysterious kidney failure, paralysis and sagging of the facial muscles and other symptoms. Forty-three people remain hospitalized. The Health Ministry reported 27 deaths linked to the tainted medications. Authorities detained five people who allegedly sold contaminated raw material to the government factory. The five suspects allegedly bought the material from a supplier. Authorities have recovered about 3,750 bottles of the syrup — the medication which appears to have be implicated in the largest number of cases — but reports indicate that as much as 20,000 bottles may have originally been sold to the public, often poorer Panamanians who depend on government health services. The government has ordered the cough syrup and cold remedies removed from store shelves. Thousands of health workers and university students combed neighborhoods Friday in Panama City and elsewhere to collect the medications and convince those who may have taken them to have themselves examined "We have recruited people to make a sweep, going house-to-house even, in areas where we have information that people may have gotten prescriptions" for the contaminated medicines, said the government's health promotion director, Mayanin Rodriguez. About 30 collection centers have been set up to receive the old medications and offer the public replacements of safe equivalent medications. Most of those affected were patients over age 60 with a history of diabetes or high blood pressure. The victims experienced symptoms including nausea and diarrhea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke_Wilbur Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 That is pretty intense. I had a chest virus last week and was taking vicks nyquil and dayquil religiously. Without cough syrup I would have been in really bad shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Human Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) I wonder how many kids took that cough medicine? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is pretty intense. I had a chest virus last week and was taking vicks nyquil and dayquil religiously. Without cough syrup I would have been in really bad shape. Edited October 23, 2006 by Human Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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