Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, Dec. 21 (Daily Mirror) – The Indian pharmaceutical company Maan Pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd., has informed Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health that it is willing to bear the full cost of testing the withdrawn batches of the Ondansetron injection at an internationally recognised laboratory.

In a letter addressed to the Ministry, the company requested that the relevant batches be referred for independent testing and stated that ensuring the injection samples were stored under proper conditions prior to testing is the responsibility of the Sri Lankan health authorities.

The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) on December 13 ordered the immediate withdrawal of four batches of the Ondansetron injection manufactured by Maan Pharmaceutical from use in both state and private hospitals.

The decision followed suspicions of possible contamination in the drug, which allegedly led to the deaths of two patients. It has been confirmed that the drug in question had been administered during their course of treatment. 

Nevertheless, investigations are currently underway to determine whether the deaths are linked to the injection.

In its letter, Maan Pharmaceutical reiterated its request for the immediate referral of the withdrawn batches for international testing and reaffirmed its readiness to cover all related costs, while emphasising the importance of verifying that the samples had been stored in compliance with required quality standards.