Doc-1 Max Syrup manufactured by Noida-based Marion Biotech Ltd. (Photo: Reuters)

The ministry said 18 out of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while suffering from an acute respiratory disease died after consuming it. It is marketed on the company's website as a treatment for cold and flu symptoms.

A batch of the syrup contained ethylene glycol, which the ministry said was a toxic substance. 

It also said the syrup was given to children at home without a doctor's prescription, either by their parents or on the advice of pharmacists, with doses that exceeded the standard dose for children.

It was not immediately clear whether all or any of the children had consumed the suspect batch or had consumed more than the standard dose, or both.

The Uzbek incident follows a similar one in Gambia, where the deaths of at least 70 children were blamed on cough and cold syrups made by New Delhi based Maiden Pharmaceuticals. Both India's government and the company have denied the medicines were at fault.