On Monday, a court in Uzbekistan sentenced 23 people to prison after a six-month trial. They were found guilty of being involved in the production of cough syrups by Marion Biotech of India, which led to the deaths of 68 children.
Uzbekistan had initially announced a death toll of 65 related to the consumption of contaminated drugs. However, the prosecutor’s office in Tashkent revised this figure last month, stating it as 68.
Reuters reported that the defendants in this case, including the head of the pharmaceutical company, who is an Indian citizen, have been sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 2 to 20 years.
Singh Raghuendra Pratap, the CEO of the company KuarMed Medical, which distributes the drugs produced by the Indian company Marion Biotech in Uzbekistan, received the highest sentence of 20 years in prison.
The court has accused them of crimes including tax evasion, bribery, selling substandard or counterfeit drugs, abuse of power, negligence, and forgery.
Furthermore, the court also announced that compensation amounting to $80,000 will be paid to each of the families who lost a child in this case, and to the parents of four children who have been disabled.
The court’s judgment reflects the severity of the offences committed and aims to provide justice to the victims and their families who suffered due to the consumption of the contaminated cough syrup.
This case highlights the importance of stringent regulations and oversight in the pharmaceutical industry to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
