At least nine patients in Belarus have died after heart surgeries during which they were given the Indian drug Cardiurex (Cardiurex). Zerkalo reports this, citing documents obtained with the help of BELPOL.
The drug contains adenosine, which sharply slows or temporarily stops the heart for several seconds, allowing surgeons to perform complex stages of operations. According to the publication, Cardiurex was used in surgeries at the Brest Regional Hospital from January to early March. The drug was administered to 13 patients; seven men and one woman aged between 50 and 65 died. Some underwent aortic prosthetic surgery, while others had their aortic valves replaced or underwent coronary artery bypass surgery.
Bacteria were found in tests of seven patients after the surgeries. There is no information about the test results for the eighth patient, a woman. Five people developed sternal mediastinitis, a severe infectious process involving inflammation and suppuration of tissues in the chest. Sepsis developed in three cases, while two other patients were diagnosed with a generalized infection.
The drug was also used at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Cardiology” in Minsk. From Feb. 17 to March 3, it was administered to nine patients aged between 41 and 68. Highly resistant bacteria were found in all of them after surgery, and all were diagnosed with sepsis. Eight patients were saved, while a 67-year-old woman died.
Documents show that the drug was Adenosin Injection IP 6 mg/ml Cardiurex, manufactured by the Indian company Welcure Remedies. The Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Cardiology” received its first shipment of 1,000 packs on Feb. 18. It is unknown how many were supplied to the Brest Regional Hospital. The report notes that the Brest Regional Hospital did not inform either the city or regional center for hygiene and epidemiology about the detection of bacteria in patients’ blood. The Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Cardiology,” by contrast, notified the authorities immediately.
A study by the Minsk City Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology found that the drug was non-sterile. It contained Klebsiella oxytoca and Serratia marcescens bacteria. The same microorganisms were found in tests from patients at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Cardiology” who had been given the drug.
It is possible that these were not the only types of bacteria contained in the injection solution, the outlet notes. Tests of patients who died at the Brest Regional Hospital also detected Acinetobacter baumannii, and less frequently Klebsiella pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae.
On March 13, the State Pharmaceutical Supervision Service informed the Ministry of Health about the problem, after which the ministry ordered the withdrawal from circulation of drug batch WADG25001A.
The supplier of the drug to Belarus was UMB-Pharm. Minsk Pharmacy signed a contract with the company in July 2025. The supplies were intended for 24 medical institutions across the country, including the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Cardiology,” the main healthcare department of the Brest Regional Executive Committee and the Brest regional unitary enterprise Pharmacy.
Under the contract, UMB-Pharm was to supply 5,943 units of the drug by June 30, 2026. However, the documents do not make clear whether all the drugs supplied were manufactured as part of the same batch.
The World Health Organization had also reported problems with the same drug batch. In May, Lithuania’s State Medicines Control Service under the Ministry of Health said it had received a WHO warning about batch WADG25001A. The drug was not used in Lithuania, but suppliers were advised to report if they had purchased it.
In July, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization included this Welcure Remedies batch on its list of drugs that did not meet quality requirements. The violations identified included failure to meet sterility requirements and the presence of bacterial endotoxins.
