Chioma Obinna
29 November 2008
The death toll of babies dying as a result of the killer teething syrup may continue to rise as two more babies were, Thursday night, rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) after taking the controversial teething mixture, My Pikin.
The Public Relation officer of the hospital, Mrs Hope Nwawulo, who confirmed this to Saturday Vanguard, said the babies have since been transferred to UCH for emergency renal dialysis.
Also, following counter allegations on whether My Pikin was responsible for the deaths of over 39 children nationwide, Nigerian Pharmacists, under the auspices of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), yesterday, advised the Federal Government, as a matter of urgency, to ensure thorough investigations into the alleged contaminated paracetamol teething mixture.
Just as National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has condemned claims by UCH management that no child was lost at the hospital, dismissing UCH insistence as 'false and unpatriotic'.
The National President of the PSN, Mr. Anthony Akhiemien, who spoke in Lagos, advised both parties involved in the My Pikin crisis to insist on due process in all the investigations.
Akhiemien, who stated that pharmacists are not trained to kill but preserve life, said "We in the pharmaceutical world have no place for mistakes. Pharmacists have zero tolerance to mistakes. We will not jump into conclusions yet. As scientists, we will allow investigations to be completed before jumping into conclusion.
He further directed all its members to withdraw the syrup in their stock and submit it to NAFDAC.
However, a report of the investigation of children's deaths at UCH from NAFDAC 's South West Zonal Office and signed by Mrs. O.A.Osibanjo, made available to Saturday Vanguard
Read thus;
"A telephone call was received from the Director (EID) on November 24, 2008. The Zonal Head (SWZ) was directed to investigate deaths of some children at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, after being administered with My Pikin Syrup"
As result, the Zonal head in company of Pharmacist S.O Adeyemi and Miss B.O.Fareo visited UCH, on November 24.
UCH Officials discussed with include; Chief Medical Director, Prof. A.O.Ilesanmi; the Head of Pharmacy Department, Mrs. M.Oderinde; an assistant pharmacist, M.I.Irabor; an officer of the manufacturing unit, one Isola; a member of Pharmacovigilance Committee, Prince Osiyemi; an official of the Main Pharmacy Store, Mrs. Nwankwo; a consultant pediatrician, Dr. A.O.Asinobi and Dr. Ademola of the Pediatric Department.
The report stated that initially, the hospital management claimed ignorance of any report from the Pediatric Department but however, With Dr. Asinobi abd Ademola interrupted to make an official report on the death of some children referred to UCH,"
Doctors Asinobi and Ademola provided the following information that within the last two weeks, (that is 30th October till date) seven pediatric patients within the ages of one and three years old were referred to UCH from LUTH and two other hospitals in Lagos.
"Seven toddlers had renal failure linked to administration of My Pikin teething mixture. Two of the seven toddlers died while on admission in UCH, Ibadan. The remaining four were taken back to Lagos by their parents against medical advice. One of the four toddlers died on the way back to Lagos."
The agency claimed that the UCH doctors told its team that the seventh toddler (3 years old) was brought dead from Lagos on November 23. As at the time of investigation, four more babies is being expected for admission. Dr. Asinobi further informed that 18 of the children from with the same diagnosis in te last two weeks.
The report in its remarks and recommendation noted that "Samples of the drug products were not available in UCH hence no details description of the drug could be given and recommended that further investigations should be carried out in Lagos since the patients were referred to UCH from there.
It could be recalled that the Public Relations Officer of the UCH, Mr. Kunle Atinwore, had in an interview with one of the dallies not vanguard denied any report of a dead child in the hospital as a result of My Pikin syrup and Prof Dora Akunyili had at a news conference in Lagos on Tuesday said that 25 children died after consuming the drug.
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