THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala may once again blacklist Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which manufactured cough syrups that allegedly led to the deaths of 66 children in Gambia, Africa.

In 2005, Kerala had blacklisted Maiden Pharma when all the medicines supplied by the company were found to be substandard. The action was taken by the Central Purchase Committee, which bought and distributed medicines in the government sector at that time. When the verdict of the case filed against the company in 2005 came out in 2017, the court slapped a fine of only 1000 rupees. When the Central Purchase Committee was replaced by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL), the company managed to come back using the loopholes of the law.

This company supplied medicines such as Metformin, Aspirin and Vitamin D3 through Karunya Pharmacy of KMSCL during the Covid period. The company faced a ban six months ago when three of its medicines, which were readily available in government hospitals, were found to be substandard. The drugs controller also directed hospitals and markets not to distribute any of the company's medicines. It was found that three batches of Metformin for diabetes, two batches of aspirin, and one batch of vitamin D3 were substandard. KMSCL will take action to blacklist the company again based on the report of the Drug Control Department.