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In Clampdown, India Makes Gov't Lab Tests Mandatory for Cough Syrup Exports

CC0 / / Cough syrup
Cough syrup - Sputnik India, 1920, 23.05.2023
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Known as the 'world's pharmacy', India suffered a setback when cough syrups manufactured by two companies were allegedly found to be toxic, leading to the death of children in Gambia and Uzbekistan.
Indian cough syrups exporters from 1 June will have to undergo mandatory testing at government laboratories before exporting their products for outbound shipments.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry's Department of Commerce on Monday amended the export policy of cough syrup and now manufacturers need to produce a "Certificate of Analysis (CoA)" issued by laboratories including Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission - Uttar Pradesh, CDL- West Bengal, CDTL - Tamil Nadu, CDTL- Maharashtra, CDTL- Telangana, RDTL - Chandigarh, RDTL - Assam or any NABL accredited State Drugs Testing Laboratory."

What is Wrong With India-Manufactured Cough Syrups?

The move comes after allegations of child deaths in Uzbekistan and Gambia allegedly after they had consumed cough syrups manufactured in India.
In December, Uzbekistan alleged that 18 children had died after consuming Dok 1 Max cough syrup by Marion Biotech. The Indian government scrapped Marion Biotech's license in March.
Likewise, Gambia alleged that 66 children had died after consuming cough syrups from another Indian firm -- Maiden Pharmaceutical.
Two Oceanian island countries - Micronesia and the Marshall Islands - have also alleged that India-made cough syrups were found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
According to experts, cough syrups generally require solvents like propylene glycol, glycerine, and sorbitol because of their insolubility. To fix the issue, companies use adulterants like diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG) – the industrial version of glycerine – toxic to the kidney and can lead to fatality, especially among children.
The Indian drug regulator also told the WHO in its investigative report that both Maiden and Marion used propylene glycol in their cough syrups.
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