Four arrested in Uzbekistan after cough syrup deaths probe

Uzbekistan has arrested four people in an investigation into the deaths of 19 children who consumed cough syrup made by Indian drug maker Marion Biotech, the Uzbek state security service said on Friday, January 6. Two of the detained were senior employees of the Scientific Center for Standardization of Medicines, who circumvented the proper testing procedures for the Doc-1 Max cough syrup, it said.

Two others were executives of the Quramax Medikal company that imported the Marion Biotech drugs.

Marion Biotech said last month, shortly after the series of deaths, that it had halted production of the syrup.