It has come to light that Medicom is the manufacturer of a sub-standard hand sanitizer product known as Sterimed.
It is reported that Sterimed has had several product recalls due to serious quality concerns that have been raised by the National Medicines Quality Assurance Laboratory (NMQAL).
In a letter dated March 17, 2020, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) ordered the withdrawal of the Sterimed rub-in hand disinfectant following the NMAQL report on failing samples due to the presence of a dead cockroach in one bottle.
Health Ministry sources said that it is difficult to perceive how a regulatory authority could award such an accreditation to a manufacturing facility that is capable of releasing such a product into the market.
This sort of negligence in medical manufacturing, lack of basic quality control and quality assurance protocol could have serious implications on the end users of such products, they warned.
Banned substance included?
Sterimed hand sanitizer contains 30g of Propal-1-ol per 100g of solution. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of hand sanitizers containing this particular type of alcohol.
Propan-1-ol is typically used to make industrial solvents (a type of cleaner) and can also be toxic to humans, dermatologists pointed out, adding that the long term exposure of Propan-1-ol can result in decreased breathing and heart rate, among other serious symptoms, and can lead to death.
Hand sanitizers with 1-propanol contamination can irritate your skin (or eyes, if exposed) with most people reporting allergic skin reactions.
Furthermore, it is alleged that the SPMC’s proposed Sterimed hand sanitizer is 75% higher in cost than the sanitizer currently procured by the Health Ministry.
Sources at the Ministry of Health claimed that high ranking officials are receiving kickbacks from these deals.
They noted that it is the responsibility of the Health Ministry to work in the best interest of the state.
“Purchasing an inferior quality hand sanitizer by paying a premium price is daylight robbery. This crime being committed amidst a pandemic is a serious crime. The end-users of these products are front line medical workers who deserve the very best quality personal protective equipment and not sub-standard products that have been contaminated with cockroaches,” they added.
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