WHO said the products, manufactured by India’s Marion Biotech, were “substandard” and that the firm had failed to provide guarantees about their “safety and quality”.
The alert, issued on Wednesday, comes after Uzbekistan authorities said last month at least 20 children died after consuming a syrup made by the company under the brand name Doc-1 Max.
India’s health ministry subsequently suspended production at the company and Uzbekistan banned the import and sale of Doc-1 Max.
Read more: Indonesia bans sale of all cough syrups after death of 99 children
The WHO alert said an analysis of the syrup samples by the quality control laboratories of Uzbekistan found “unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and /or ethylene glycol as contaminants”. Diethylene glycol and ethylene are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal.
Authorities in Uzbekistan say 20 children died last month after consuming a syrup imported from India
“Both of these products may have marketing authorizations in other countries in the region. They may also have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions,” WHO said.
Read more: ‘Contaminated’ Indian cough syrups linked to death of 66 children in Gambia
The products were “unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death”, it said. Marion Biotech officials could not be reached immediately for comment.
It is the second Indian drugmaker to face a probe by regulators since October, when the WHO linked another firm’s medicines to a spate of child deaths in Gambia.
“WHO-contracted laboratories in Ghana and Switzerland tested the suspected cough syrups products from The Gambia and confirmed excess levels of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol,” it said, adding that it immediately shared the results with authorities in The Gambia and India, as well as with Maiden Pharmaceutical officials.
In his letter, Dr Somani also said that the panel had requested “specific information” from the WHO on “further details essential to establish the causality” but had not received this yet. The letter did not specify what information the committee had asked for.
When contacted, Dr Somani’s office asked the BBC to get in touch with India’s health ministry. The BBC has emailed the ministry for comment.
India produces a third of the world’s medicines, mostly in the form of generic drugs.