From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine (NYT)

Source: New York Times

From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine

By WALT BOGDANICH and JAKE HOOKER
Published: May 6, 2007

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The syrupy poison, diethylene glycol, is an indispensable part of
the modern world, an industrial solvent and prime ingredient in
some antifreeze.

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Over the years, the poison has been loaded into all varieties of
medicine — cough syrup, fever medication, injectable drugs — a
result of counterfeiters who profit by substituting the sweet-
tasting solvent for a safe, more expensive syrup, usually glycerin,
commonly used in drugs, food, toothpaste and other products.

Toxic syrup has figured in at least eight mass poisonings around
the world in the past two decades. Researchers estimate that
thousands have died. In many cases, the precise origin of the
poison has never been determined. But records and interviews
show that in three of the last four cases it was made in China,
a major source of counterfeit drugs.

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Panama’s death toll leads directly to Chinese companies that
made and exported the poison as 99.5 percent pure glycerin.

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The counterfeit glycerin passed through three trading companies
on three continents, yet not one of them tested the syrup to
confirm what was on the label. Along the way, a certificate
falsely attesting to the purity of the shipment was repeatedly
altered, eliminating the name of the manufacturer and previous
owner. As a result, traders bought the syrup without knowing
where it came from, or who made it. With this information,
the traders might have discovered — as The Times did — that
the manufacturer was not certified to make pharmaceutical
ingredients.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/world/06poison.html