Particle.news

Download on the App Store

23 Sentenced in Uzbekistan for Cough Syrup Deaths

A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced 23 individuals, including an Indian national, to prison for their roles in the deaths of 68 children linked to contaminated cough syrup.

Image
Representative image

Overview

  • The court handed out sentences ranging from two to 20 years for crimes including tax evasion, sale of substandard or counterfeit medicines, and bribery.
  • Indian citizen Singh Raghvendra Pratap received the longest sentence of 20 years for his involvement in importing the contaminated cough syrup into Uzbekistan.
  • The World Health Organization had previously warned against the use of the cough syrups, which were found to be contaminated with toxic substances.
  • Families of the 68 deceased children will each receive $80,000 in compensation, with additional payments to families of children who became disabled after consuming the syrup.
  • The contaminated cough syrups were produced by India's Marion Biotech, whose production license was cancelled by India following the incidents.