Doc-1 Max case: The number of victims has reached 68 people, two more people have been charged

Doc-1 Max syrup, produced in India by Marion Biotech, caused the death of 68 children in Uzbekistan. The state prosecutor announced this at a hearing on this case, which took place on January 10, a Kun.uz correspondent reports.

Last year it was reported that the number of victims was 65. The presence of three more became known from the conclusion of the investigation into the second criminal case, in which, in addition to the deaths of 3 children, cases were investigated as a result of which at least 16 children became disabled, and two children were injured relatively lightly.

Of the 21 persons accused in the first criminal case, 17 are also defendants in the second criminal case. At a hearing on January 5, the trials in both cases were consolidated.

On January 5, it became known that the number of accused had increased from 21 to 23 people. In December, the court ordered an additional investigation under Articles 416-417 of the Criminal Procedural Code. Investigative authorities brought charges against 2 more persons.

On January 10, at a court hearing in Tashkent, the prosecutor read out the indictment against these two individuals.

One of them is Tolipov Farrukh, who held the position of chief specialist of the Pharmacological Committee under the State Center for Expertise and Standardization of Medicines, Medical Products and Medical Equipment.

Farrukh Tolipov is accused of repeatedly receiving bribes while working in the above-mentioned position as a civil servant. He also conspired with a group of people to falsify official documents granting certain rights and use them, knowing that they were counterfeit.

In accordance with the procedure established in Uzbekistan, if a medicine is registered in at least one state other than the manufacturing state, then this medicine is subject to state registration without conducting clinical trials, based on materials from preclinical studies and their examination.

The investigation concluded that the director of Quramax Medical LLC, Singh Raghvendra Prathar, conspired with civil servant Farrukh Tolipov, for state registration without clinical trials of the drugs Tararex 200 and Tararex 400 (later the name was changed to Curarax 200 and Curarax 400) produced by the Indian company Marion Biotech intended to produce a false certificate of state registration of these drugs not only in India, but also allegedly in Tajikistan.

According to the indictment, Tolipov, having entered into a conspiracy with Singh in April 2022, in exchange for a certain amount, turned to Nazarov Farkhod, whom he previously knew, with a request to prepare a false certificate of state registration in Tajikistan of the above-mentioned drug. Nazarov was engaged in providing consulting services for state registration of foreign-made medicines in Uzbekistan.

The prosecutor said that Nazarov agreed to fulfill Tolipov’s request, saying that in the office of Origin Solutions LLC, which he headed (registered in 2015, the only founder is himself), located at Nukus street, building 85/1, Mirabad district of Tashkent, Nazarov forged a certificate with serial number 11544 dated December 10, 2021, stating that these drugs were allegedly registered in Tajikistan. In addition, he attached a red sticker indicating that the certificate was supposedly notarized in India and provided it to Tolipov.

“Tolipov, in turn, gave this certificate to Singh, receiving $1,100 in return. Afterwards, Singh submitted a forged certificate through Mirzaakhmedova Nuriya, registration manager of Quramax Medical LLC, to the State Center in addition to the other documents for the drugs Tararex 200 and Tararex 400, and on the basis of this falsified certificate received a positive conclusion from the Pharmacological Committee, about state registration of a medicine without clinical trials,” the Kun.uz correspondent quotes the state prosecutor as saying.

Charges have been brought against Farrukh Tolipov and Farkhod Nazarov under paragraph “b”, Article 228-2 of the Criminal Code and Article 228-3.

According to investigative documents, Singh, in June-July 2022, again approached Tolipov with a request to prepare a false certificate of state registration in Tajikistan of the drug Tararex Orni (later the name was changed to Curarax Orni), for state registration without clinical trials. And this time it was agreed that the bribe amount would be $1,100.

The prosecutor said that in this case, Tolipov also turned to his accomplice Nazarov. He again prepared a false certificate, Talipov received $1,100, as agreed, gave this certificate to Singh, and in the end the drug also passed state registration without clinical trials.

In the second case, Tolipov was charged under paragraph “a”, Article 214-3 of the Criminal Code, and Nazarov was charged with paragraphs “a”, “b” of Article 228-2 and Article 228-2.

The state prosecutor in his speech did not clarify the issue of Farkhod Nazarov’s financial interest in this case.