Amman, Oct. 14 (Petra) - The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) said the Jordanian pharmaceutical market has not registered nor received products, which the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against using for human consumption, indicating that the warning came due to global poisoning incidents that have been monitored since 2023.

In a statement on Tuesday, the JFDA noted the WHO alert relates to contaminated cough syrups in India, which have led to the deaths of a number of children there.

Since 2023, the JFDA has taken precautionary control measures through the Drug Health Risk Assessment Committee to ensure "safety, quality, and effectiveness" of similar products on the Jordanian market, and ensure all these products are "free of (EG) and (DEG) impurities." Under this process, the JFDA issued circulars and obligated pharmaceutical companies to submit lists of products containing highly hazardous inactive ingredients, mainly (Propylene Glycol, Polyethylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Glycerin), in addition to sending Certificates of Analysis (COAs) proving they are free of EG/DEG impurities.

The JFDA has circulated standard operating procedures (SOPs) to manufacturers to identify high-risk inactive ingredients in each final product, as well as analyzing the inactive components from the manufacturer of the final product ahead of approving their use in manufacturing processes.

As per its guidelines, the JFDA said the permissible limit for EG/DEG impurities must not exceed 0.10%.

The JFDA also strengthened international cooperation with health authorities in countries that have faced similar contamination cases to exchange experiences and preventive measures.

//Petra// AG