Researchers at the University of Oxford and their collaborators have demonstrated that simple, rapid, and inexpensive tests can detect deadly contaminants in medicinal syrups – contaminants that have tragically led to the deaths of hundreds of children worldwide.
In 2022, contaminated medicinal syrups caused the deaths of more than 300 children across Indonesia, The Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon. Only two months ago, at least a further 24 deaths were reported in India. In response, Oxford’s DEG-EG team is developing novel tests to identify these lethal contaminants in both medicinal syrups and their raw materials.
The team has successfully repurposed commercially available rapid tests, each costing less than £1:
Alcohol test strips, commonly used to check saliva or breast milk for traces of alcohol before driving or infant feeding, were shown to detect contaminants in medicinal syrups and raw materials in under two minutes.
Disposable breathalysers, also used for alcohol detection, identified contaminants in raw materials in as little as ten seconds.
These methods offer simple, fast and low-cost tools for identifying contamination of syrups in pharmaceutical supply chains – a crucial step toward preventing future tragedies.
Study co-leader, Dr Bevin Gangadharan of the Department of Biochemistry and Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, said: ‘The contaminants are usually detected by gas chromatography or thin-layer chromatography, both of which are time-consuming, use harmful solvents, and require trained personnel. Our approach is rapid, uses water, and our publication includes a simple step-by-step protocol sheet that can be easily followed by inspectors, medicine regulators, and syrup manufacturers.’
Project leader, Professor Paul Newton of the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, said: ‘Urgent interventions are needed to be implemented to prevent these recurring tragedies of childhood deaths and screening devices for detecting the toxins offer great promise in enabling this.’
Study co-leader, Professor Nicole Zitzmann, of the Department of Biochemistry and Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, said: ‘Our findings show that solutions to this devastating global problem may already be within reach. By adapting tools that are widely available and inexpensive, we can enable on-the-spot testing to protect vulnerable children.’
