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A batch of the children's cough syrup manufactured by Johnson & Johnson in 2021 has now been recalled by drug authorities in six African countries. Nine women who had been arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly booing the first lady have had the charges dropped, local media report.
This is after Nigeria's drug agency warned that it contained high levels of a toxic and potentially fatal substance. They were withdrawn on the instructions of First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, the reports said, citing presidential spokesperson George Charamba.
Drug regulators in Tanzania and Zimbabwe are the latest to recall the syrup as a precautionary measure, although Zimbabwe's Medicines Control Authority said there was no record of the syrup being imported into the country. "Both the first lady and police commissioner general agreed the officers on the ground overreacted," Mr Charamba was quoted as saying.
Last week, Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (Nafdac) recalled a batch of the Benylin Pediatric syrup after detecting the toxic substance Diethylene glycol in it. The women, who ranged in age between 19 and 49, were said to have allegedly booed Mrs Mnangagwa after missing out on food and clothing handouts that she was distributing at a charity event in the eastern Manicaland province last Wednesday.
A few days later, Kenya's pharmacy board ordered a halt in the sale of the syrup, acting on Nafdac's advice. "Prosecutors charged that the women, who were seated on the ground stood up and started booing the first lady while she was making her closing remarks during her address intending to disrupt her speech and show disgruntlement that they had not received anything from her," the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZHLR), who represented the women in court, said.
They were then followed by drug authorities in South Africa and Rwanda, who recalled the syrup during the weekend. They had been accused of “unlawful, abusive and insulting” behaviour towards the first lady and were subsequently charged with disorderly conduct, ZHLR added.
Diethylene glycol has been linked to the recent deaths of dozens of children in Cameroon and The Gambia. The organisation said the women denied the charges, arguing that they had been arrested for leaving the event while the first lady was still speaking.
Human consumption of the substance causes multiple adverse effects, including acute kidney injury, which may lead to death.
The recalled Benylin Paediatric syrup, batch no 329304 was manufactured in South Africa in May 2021 and was marked with an expiry date of April 2024.
South Africa's drug regulator said batch 329303 was also affected, and that the batches had been sold in South Africa, Eswatini, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria.
Kenvue, which now owns the Benylin Paediatric syrup brand, said it is collaborating with authorities and conducting its own tests, Reuters news agency reported.
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