NAFDAC recalls J&J’s children’s syrup over toxicity

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has recalled a children’s cough syrup manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, South Africa, following laboratory analysis that showed potentially deadly levels of toxicity.

According to the agency, a batch of J&J’s Benylin Paediatrics Syrup contains an “unacceptably high level of diethylene glycol and was found to cause acute oral toxicity in laboratory animals”.

The syrup is also used to treat hay fever and other allergic conditions in children below 12 years of age. Diethylene glycol is toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal.

Toxic effects can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.