NAIROBI, April 11 (Reuters) - Kenya's drug regulator is

recalling a batch of Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) children's cough

syrup, it said on Thursday, a day after Nigeria recalled the

same batch of medication under the Benylin Paediatric brand.

Nigeria's health regulator said laboratory tests on the

syrup showed a high level of diethylene glycol, which has been

linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan

and Cameroon since 2022 in one of the world's worst waves of

poisoning from oral medication.

Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) said in a statement

it had commenced investigations and advised that sales of

certain batches of the product be halted and returned to

suppliers.

Kenvue ( KVUE ), which now owns the Benylin brand after a

spin-off from J&J last year, did not immediately respond to a

request for comment.

The batch being recalled was made by J&J in South Africa in

May 2021 with an expiration date of April 2024, PPD said.