Five people investigated for Panama medicine deaths
Source: Reuters
PANAMA CITY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Panamanian authorities are investigating five people over the distribution of glycol-contaminated cough medicine that killed 26 people, the state prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The government-made cough syrup contained diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent commonly used for brake fluids or as an engine coolant. Twenty-six Panamanians, mainly in the capital, have died since September, when the outbreak first came to light. Another 44 are affected and receiving treatment. This month, experts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified the toxin in cough syrups and other liquid drugs that are usually diluted with a safer but more expensive chemical, propylene glycol. The poisonous glycol was bought from a company in Spain, and Panama has requested assistance from Spain in investigating the affair, the office said in a statement. If found guilty, the five suspects could face eight to 10 years in jail for crimes against public health. The suspects are prohibited from leaving the country. The fraudulent or negligent use of diethylene glycol in the pharmaceutical industry has killed hundreds worldwide. A major diethylene glycol poisoning in the United States contributed to the creation of the FDA in 1938.
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