Vietnam's Ministry of Health issued a warning to provincial and municipal departments of health and medical facilities against 14 banned cough syrup products that risk causing death to consumers. 

The warning came after the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) announced in a telegram sent to the Vietnamese ministry that deaths and acute kidney injuries in hundreds of children have been linked to cough syrups.

These syrup products, made in India and Indonesia, contain diethylene glycol that harms human health and might cause death to users, the ministry cited Interpol.

The 14 syrup products have not yet been approved for circulation and import into Vietnam, according to the Drug Administration of Vietnam under the ministry.

To ensure the safety of users, the ministry asked medical centers in provinces and cities across the country to publicize information about the 14 cough syrup products and their negative effects.

Cities and provinces should call on residents not to use unregistered medicines and drugs with no clear origin.

The departments of health in the centrally-run provinces and cities were told to conduct regular inspections on drug circulation registration and the origin of medicines at pharmacies and drugstores.

The ministry asked officials to confiscate and destroy these cough syrups, and impose harsh sanctions on the sellers of these banned medicine products whenever they find ones.

In October 2022, the World Health Organization issued a warning against four cough syrup products, including Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup, after discovering many deaths among children linked to the cough syrups made by India’s Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited.

These over-the-counter syrups contain high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. The contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents.

In addition, Indian officials started an investigation and asked the firm to halt the production of the cough syrups.

A list of 14 cough syrup products in Interpol's warning:

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