Kenya has become the lastest country to recall a batch of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) children’s cough syrup over suspected toxicity.
On Wednesday, Nigeria recalled the same batch of medication under the Benylin Paediatric brand.
Nigeria’s health regulator said laboratory tests on the syrup showed a high level of diethylene glycol, which has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since 2022 in one of the world’s worst waves of poisoning from oral medication.
At least 66 children lost their lives in The Gambia, triggering the World Health Organisation, to issue an alert to citizens warning them of diethylene glycol, known to be deadly in high levels.
The WHO noted that consequences include acute kidney injury, diarrhoea, altered mental state, inability to pass urine, headache and vomiting.
Meanwhile joining Nigeria, Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board in a statement on Thursday said it had started investigations and advised that sales of certain batches of the product be halted and returned to suppliers.
Kenvue, which now owns the Benylin brand after a spin-off from J&J last year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The batch being recalled was made by J&J in SA in May 2021, with an expiration date of April 2024, Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board said.
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