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Export Marketing
NO 8 - Oct 08 2021

T. Crying Necessity of Pharmacovigilance: deficiency increases the risk of child deaths from diseases
I( Diethylene glycol tragedy in Bangladesh: such as measles and diarrhea. These infections contrib-
Diethylene glycol is a highly toxic organic solvent that ute to over one-third of deaths among children aged 0-5
causes acute renal failure and death when ingested. Its years in Bangladesh (UNICEF- Bangladesh media center,
toxicity became apparent in the 1930s when it was used 6 June 2009). For this reason, the Government of People’s
to prepare a sulphanilamide elixir in the United States. Republic of Bangladesh conducts National vitamin A plus
The deaths of at least 76 people from ingestion of this campaign every year. In 2013 due to ingestion of substan-
sulphanilamide elixir prompted the promulgation of the dard vitamin A capsule many children became sick, and
United States Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act in 1938, online reports talked about some patients experiencing
which regulates the evaluation and use of new drugs vomiting sensation and feeling unwell. Children were re-
or foods. Diethylene glycol is occasionally identified in ported sick at Chittagong, Cox’s Bazaar and Lakhimpur
medical preparations or foods, though rarely in lethal among other places. Rumors of death were also reported
concentrations. Drug toxicity due to formulation alter- with one report claiming a child had died from adminis-
ation is very much common. There are a lot of examples tration of Vitamin A capsule which were supplied by Indi-
of this type of malpractices. It gets importance because an source, Olive healthcare.
of some recent incidence. In 2009, 26 children died due
to formulation alteration in case of paracetamol syrup, III( Unethical drug promotion and their consequences:
where propylene glycol was replaced by diethylene gly- Doctors are prescribing more Nitazoxanide instead of
col as a solvent. Health officials in the country said that so Metronidazole for amoebiasis and Azithromycin for diar-
far 26 children aged between 11 months and three years rhea and PID. Benzodiazepines, sex hormones, steroids,
have died after taking paracetamol (acetaminophen) Terbinafine, Butenafine, Crotamiton etc. Promoting Di-
syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol that was rectly to Consumers through daily newspaper with sepa-
manufactured by local drug producer Rid Pharmaceuti- rate advertising sheet on Dukoral (Swedish company) for
cal Co (Arrest warrants issued after DEG kills 26 infants diarrhea prevention. Other misused drugs are Diclofenac,
in Bangladesh). The trade name of the drug was Temset caffeine with paracetamol, Irrational vitamin prepara-
(paracetamol suspension). In addition, three hundred tions with several minerals that are not detected by drug
thirty-nine (339) deaths attributed to paracetamol syr- testing laboratories. But a mixture of 32 vitamins and
up contaminated with diethylene glycol in 1990-1992. minerals including selenium, vanadium, molybdenum, tin
This incidence shows that, the formulation alteration by and many other unnecessary ingredients has been mar-
harmful chemical can pose a serious threat to health care keted in the country for a few years, violating the prin-
system. ciples of the NDP. Spurious and substandard drugs are
II) Substandard vitamin A tragedy in Bangladesh: Vita- freely moving around the market. Aggressive promotion
min A deficiency may be a major threat to the health and often leads to irrational prescriptions. So is applicable to
survival of children and mothers. Effects of vitamin A de- counterfeit version of costly drugs that surface progres-
ficiency extend much beyond blindness alone. Vitamin A sive mismanagement.

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