THE Medical Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has directed CAPS Pharmaceuticals to recall from the market 170 000 units of the popular 4Cs syrup used to treat children with flu and cold, due to suspected contamination.

The syrup, released into the market in six batches of 28 000 units apiece, is presumed to have contamination in the form of black materials concentrated mainly inside the screw cap.

Three batches were recalled at the beginning of last week, but towards the end of the week, the number of recalled batches had risen to six.

This is probably the largest product recall in Zimbabwe in recent memory.

Around 2006, one of the country’s largest producers of cooking oil reportedly recalled a huge consignment that had been contaminated during the production process.

Sources privy to the development told the Financial Gazette that MCAZ received a complaint from a local pharmacy and tracked the distributor who supplied the pharmacy with the product. They picked samples from the distributor and are currently carrying out tests, the results of which will be notified to CAPS Pharmaceuticals.

“MCAZ then asked us to carry out our own internal investigations to establish what happened and that process is still on going,” said CAPS Pharmaceuticals sales and marketing manager, Robson Mafongoya, in an interview with the Financial Gazette this week.