Noida-based pharmaceutical company Merian Biotech has issued a statement in connection with the death of 18 children allegedly drinking cough syrup in Uzbekistan. Expressing grief in the matter, the company has assured action against the culprits.

Central agencies as well as teams of Uttar Pradesh Drug Department went and investigated the Noida-based premises of the pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech. The company, however, does not sell cough syrup Doc-1 Max in India, which has allegedly caused the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan, said a UP government official.

Drug Inspector of Gautam Buddha Nagar Vaibhav Babbar said that the inspection at the premises located in Sector 67 of Noida started on Thursday morning. The Central Drugs Standard Control Association (CDSCO) has initiated an inquiry in this regard.

Company's legal head Hasan Haris said that we are saddened for the deaths in the accident. The government is investigating. We will take action on the basis of the report. Samples have been taken. The manufacturing of that product has been stopped for the time being and further action is being taken.

A case of death of children has come to light in Uzbekistan after allegedly drinking cough syrup of an Indian pharmaceutical company. According to media reports, the government of Uzbekistan had blamed an Indian pharmaceutical company for the death of 18 children. Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health claims that 18 children have died after consuming cough syrup manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical company.

The report claimed that the ministry said in a statement that children died after consuming Dok-1 Max syrup manufactured by pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech. The pharmaceutical company entered the Uzbekistan market in the year 2012. According to the sources, Dok-1 Max syrup manufactured by this company is currently not being sold in the Indian market.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is ready to assist in further investigation into the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan after consuming cough syrup. The WHO says it is in contact with health officials in Uzbekistan.

Earlier, in October, over 60 children had died in the African country of Gambia after consuming Indian-made cough syrup. After this, the central government had formed a committee to investigate the matter, but till now there is no official confirmation of the death of the children from the cough syrup of the Indian company.

On the death of children in The Gambia allegedly after consuming Indian-made cough syrup, the government informed Parliament that samples of Maiden Pharmaceuticals' cough syrup were found to be of substandard quality. Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwant Khuba told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on December 13 that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had conducted a joint investigation of Maiden Pharmaceuticals in Sonepat in collaboration with the State Drug Controller.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had released the report regarding this in the beginning of October. In which it was said that cough medicine diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are like poison for humans. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said that the death of children is related to four drugs. The consumption of these syrups damaged his kidneys. These four medicines belong to the same company Maiden Pharmaceuticals of Haryana.

After the WHO report came, Gambia had banned the products of Maiden Pharmaceutical. WHO had warned all countries to remove these drugs from the market. He himself had talked about keeping an eye on the supply chain of these countries and the concerned region. After WHO's warning, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization issued orders for investigation.