The sale of a brand of paracetamol drops for children has been banned over a quality issue.

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) said the medicine sold in the Maldives market has been found to have changed color and frozen.

The liquid drops for children were manufactured in India.

The MFDA said the import and sale of the medicine have been banned pending an inquiry.

Last week, the MFDA banned the sale of a brand of liquid cetirizine after the chemicals "diethylene glycol (DEG)" and "ethylene glycol (EG)" were detected in a batch in the Maldives.

Taking paracetamol and other medicines for coughing and colds that contained the dangerous substances have caused the death of children in some countries after .

In response to an alert from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Maldives has also been taking random samples of medicine in the market for screening.

After the MDFA took 10 samples for testing so far this year, one batch was found to contain "diethylene glycol (DEG)" and "ethylene glycol (EG)."

The batch B220 of 5ml oral liquid cetirizine of the Alegro brand was manufactured by a Pakistani company.