Ondansetron Supply No Scope for SL to seek Indian govt. intervention over injection deaths

By Kelum Bandara

Sri Lanka has little to no room to seek the involvement of Indian government authorities over the recent deaths of several patients following the administration of an injection, as the purported Indian supplier is a private entity, Daily Mirror learns.  

Daily Mirror learns from an informed source that both the parties- Sri Lankan importer and Indian supplier - involved in the transaction are private commercial entities, and the onus also lies with the relevant testing organisations such as the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) to check out the standard of medical supplies to the country from any internal or external organisation.  

Four patients died from an allergic reaction developed after the use of Ondansetron Injection at some government hospitals.  

The Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) has already initiated legal action against the NMRA, raising serious concerns about patient safety.  

India accounts for 20 percent of global pharmaceutical supplies by volume. Also, India is home to eight generic drug manufacturing units out of 20 in the world. After the United States, India has the largest number of manufacturing units accredited by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).  

However, the informed source said that there is always room for substandard operation like in any part of the world.   

In response to the current case in Sri Lanka, the source said testing should be done in India as the manufacturing country, but it is not feasible for every batch of products.   

Commenting on the latest Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries for cooperation in the health sector, the source said it is expected to facilitate better regulation of bilateral pharmaceutical trade, including improvements in standards, quality assurance and testing mechanisms.  

Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe said a separate probe is underway regarding the death of these patients after the administration of this injection.   

Besides, he said the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) is also looking into the matter.