Toxic cough syrup kills 16 in Lahore: officials
20 victims aged 15 to 45 had been admitted after drinking the syrup and most had a history of addiction, said a local hospital official.— File Photo by AP
LAHORE: At least 16 people have died after drinking a toxic cough syrup in Lahore, forcing authorities to close three pharmacies and a medicine factory, officials said Monday.
The deaths occurred in the low-income Shahdra Town neighbourhood between Friday and Sunday with the victims mostly drug addicts who took the syrup to get high, said local police station chief Atif Zulfiqar.
The scandal comes after around 100 heart patients died in January in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, after taking faulty medicine made locally.
“At least 16 people, mostly drug addicts, have died after taking the toxic syrup,” Zulfiqar told AFP, updating an earlier death toll of 13.
“Some of the victims were found dead in a graveyard where addicts used to take different kinds of drugs,” he said. Seven others died in hospital.
Three pharmacies have been shut down and their owners arrested, he added.
The health adviser for Punjab province, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, said the syrup would be confiscated from all pharmacies.
He said inspectors had shut down a drugs factory and sent samples to a laboratory for detailed analysis.
“Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry and a report will be submitted to him within 72 hours,” Rafiq said.
Doctor Tahir Khalil at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital said 20 victims aged 15 to 45 had been admitted after drinking the syrup and most had a history of addiction.
“One of the victims who was in critical condition died today and the total deaths in hospital are seven,” Khalil said.
“Six people were saved and were discharged after treatment, while seven others were still admitted to hospital,” he added.
There is no excuse for that happening.
Things to consider:
Why not release the name of the cough drop?
How are you going to protect someone who does not watch news?
Why emphasize that the person killed are drug addict? Aren’t they Pakistani?
Is this made spuriously by a local company by putting a label of national company? If so make sure to put this out as soon as possible to alleviate panic.
Make sure to have a transparent investigation..
Dear tony,
The drug manufactured wasn’t spurious!! The drug test reports have come out clear. The bottles consumed were of substandard quality produced by a fake factory who were re-using the bottles. Please get your facts together and do some research for your own good.
tyno cough syrup
SHABAZ SHARIF MUST RESIGN RIGHT-AWAY AS HE KEPT THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH TO HIMSELF ADDING 17 MINISTRIES TO HIS SHOULDERS.
Salam to Dawn for not publishing the name of the syrup…Excellent journalism at its peak in Pakistan!!
Why is it that the names of the perpetrators are not disclosed? This is bad reporting…
This mixture was cleared only for export or sale outside Punjab by Punjab Health Dept and it was illegal to sell it in Lahore. Heads must roll.
Thousands fake madicens being used particularly rural areas and also in cities remote locatuions under the connivence of drug authorities. it is noted hundered number of medicenes and companies being registered in present regime. and all these fake companies doing business by giving handsome share to registered madical prectioners. I think that time has come to play roll by each and every pakistani to save the country.
I read the news item and all the comments. No body has mentioned the government regulations. The government is supposed to have regulations controlling the production and sale of food and drug items, and also strictly enforce them. But that, perhaps, is too much to ask in Pakistan. The government funtionaries are so busy in corruption that they do not have time for other things.
There is no planning of any kind for anything in Pakistan. They start talking about the incident after the fact. Even the hospitals and doctors tend to take care of patients, after death.
I left Pakistan more than 40 years ago to settle in USA. Knowing what is happening in Pakistan today, I am thankful to God that He guided me to make the right decision. It seems advisable for everybody to do the same, if possible, to get out of that hell. If some one has seen Pakistan, he has pretty good idea how the hell is going to look like.
DAWN needs to learn a lesson in political correctness. By suggesting that these people were “Drug Abusers”, Dawn is more or less legitimizing their deaths! And hence stressing that this is nothing for us to get up from our comfy chairs. Might i suggest “the VICTIMS were thought to have had, had a history of substance abuse”…
What the hell, why shy away from mentioning name of this killer syrup? save some lives if you can? whats wrong again with health ministry and do we have a health minister this time or we have jack of all trades Shahbaz So Sharif only?
Is the name of the syrup highly confidential so that more people can use it and die ???????????
News are like that in this era
The name has been given on the Express Tribune site.
Good One.
its written in the article
The name of the medicine has been made public however the medicine is safe. Drug results show there is nothing wrong with it. Please act more intelligent and realise that the deceased were drug addicts who consumed something of a completely different nature.
One may understand and expect such approach from the government but Its really pity that the reporter wasn’t daring enough to mention the name of pharmaceutical companies.
It’s a shame it’s a sick situation people in Pakistan are dying like as if death is like a candy for kids that everyone is enjoying eating it …….bombs , target killings , kidnap , murders , suicide attacks , sectarian killings of Shias , gang wars in Karachi , Taliban attacks, acid attacks , fake medicines , rats eating babies in hospital . ……………..what is this place ……..Pakistan ka mutlab kya?
Dude, I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s shameful, but it’s true.
You are right , it is messy ..That’s why Pakistan army is not interested to takeover now.
Faisal,
There is nothing wrong with the medicine you mentioned above. The drug test report has come out clear. The deceased consumed a fake product which was NOT Tyno? Get your facts in line.
Pakistan is the only place in the world where the culprits get away with virtually anything. Heads should roll not only in the pharma company which produced this syrup of death but also people from the health department should be hanged publicly for their negligence but alas no such thing would happen.
IT is Cough Syrup Tyno, manufactured by Ricko Pharmacal Lahore
Good job Faisal.
Thanks Faisal. However, this is the duty of heath ministry to announce the name and company of the drug for authenticity. This may save some lives by avoiding the toxic drug and the consumer continue buying the good drug for their relief.
Thankyou faisal,you have more courage than this damn reporer or tv channels….
Dear Dawn,
If you dont disclose the name of the brand then there will be more innocent people totally unaware of the poison and will consume it.
Please do your nation a favor and print the brand name.
Thanks,
A concerned human
Its Pakistan we are talking about…there has to be at least more than 10 deaths to make it to the news and another 100 to disclose the cause, period!
Some people are probably saying its only 16 and they happen to be mainly drug addicts so it doesnt matter…….this is now the extent of our consciousness after every major tragedy.
what good is this report to anyone if the brand is not named…do you think you are saving more ppl from dying…as good as not reporting at all!
yes ur rite mehreen–but i think its better 2 b safe than sorry—-just dont buy a cough syrup and do without it or if u buy 1, buy a foreign one imported from Europe.
Dawn should have named the brand ideally with picture of the said mixture bottle. That would be better ethical approach.
In complete agreement with you, Mr Suhail. Dawn has been equally disappointing in not naming the culprits..!
Yes fully agree. Why hiding it?!?
DRAP has come but no remedy is visible to avoid such mishaps the reason being that their is no control on sale outlets they are being run without registered pharmacist and any tom dick and harry can buy any drug in any quantity without prescription.
Bring back military rule. Pakistanis also deserve a rule of law. The present so called democratic rule has failed both at the federal level as also at the state level.
Its an irony one can do anything in Pakistan and can never be questioned. What a shame. So many people die daily and we are happy with this sham democracy where the elite enjoy their might. God save Pakistan. Welcome military again.
Pakistan has been through 4 failed military rule and is in present state so how do you expect military to be solution to anything ?
Actually if you look at the GDP and economic situation during military rules, it was far better than the so called Demon-cracy rule. If it was democracy that we saw in the last four years, then you really has to be deaf and dumb to continue it.
I am surprised why Dawn could not report the brand name of cough syrup that killed or supposedly killed 13 people so that other people should at least avoid.
Journalistic Ethics
such are the cases where it is most needed
Ethics hold no weight, if they fail to protect the public interest and inform the innocent society at large.
Innocent society?
The authorities must disclose, if they have even a tiny bit of honesty left in them, the brand name of the drug taken by the victims and the manufacturers of these syrups.
Please have the courage to print the names of those who are involved in the heinous crimes. No matter what rank or file they belong to…………….. how long we are going to protect our elites and well connected.
If the people can set the cinemas on fire, they can set the pharmacies on fire.
Health is not our priority. Our priority is corruption so it will continue.
i left pakistan many years ago to settle in usa, yes i am well off here, wonder how things
have fallen back for worse there, does any body care?
go back to pakistan if u r really concerned
You showed how much you care about Pakistan by leaving.
In your case you mean you abandoned Pakistan many years ago.
Well said. khadim-e-Aala you better step down and give place to some body more deserving. This is a request from a common Pakistani who is feels sad about his country and people.
“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate
the growth of private power to a point where it becomes
stronger than their democratic state itself.
— President Franklin D. Roosevelt
.
How odd.
The Army is not a democracy.
“Men. If the Army wanted you to have a wife they would have issued you one.”