Iraqi Health Authorities Withdraw Toxic Cough Medicine

Iraqi health authorities have begun withdrawing an Indian cough medicine that contains toxic chemical concentrations, according to a report from Bloomberg citing an official in the Kurdistan region on Wednesday. Kosher Younis, the head of registration at the Medical Control Agency in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, stated to Bloomberg that the withdrawal process has started nationwide, following a similar campaign in the region on July 30. Younis provided a copy of a document from the central government’s Ministry of Health requesting pharmacies across the country to withdraw the product. Bloomberg reported last week that a sample of the "Cold Out" medicine purchased in Baghdad in March contained unsafe levels of "ethylene glycol," a toxic industrial solvent. This is the fifth time in a year that tests have revealed excessive levels of "ethylene glycol" in medicines sourced from India.