Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India considers policy change after cough syrup deaths: Modi's office

A source with knowledge of the matter said the policy change could mean increased oversight of India’s $41 billion pharmaceutical industry

India considers policy change after cough syrup deaths: Modi's office

India is considering a change to its pharmaceutical industry policy after cough syrups made in the country were linked to the deaths of children overseas, according to a document from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office.

A brainstorming session was held in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad "to find a solution to exported cough syrups that killed children," Modi's office said in the document dated May 15.

Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and federal and state regulators attended the session in February, according to a statement from the health ministry that did not mention cough syrups.

"Tweak in policy is mooted," the document from the prime minister's office said, adding that "important things" had been "overlooked". It did not elaborate.

A source with knowledge of the matter said the policy change could mean increased oversight of India's $41 billion pharmaceutical industry, which is the world's largest supplier of generic medicines.

Increased testing of cough syrups as well as of raw materials for drugs in general is one of the steps being considered, said the source.

The statement, which has not been previously reported, appears to be the first time the prime minister's office has addressed the cough syrup controversy. Modi's office and the health ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

India's drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), has proposed testing cough syrups in government laboratories before they are exported, News18.com reported on Tuesday (16).

The World Health Organization (WHO) found last year that cough syrups made by an Indian drugmaker contained dangerous levels of two known toxins, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, leading to the deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia. India denies a connection between the syrups and the deaths.

The WHO says it is still seeking the culprit within the supply chain, but has been frustrated in its efforts.

India has acted against a second Indian company whose cough syrups were linked to the deaths of 19 kids in Uzbekistan, including the arrest of three of its employees. A third Indian drugmaker was found by the WHO to have sold tainted syrups to the Marshall Islands and Micronesia.

Indian health officials have expressed concern that the incidents of contaminated syrups will harm its pharmaceutical industry. An Indian representative participated in a meeting of global drug regulators in Indonesia earlier this month to discuss ways to ensure the safety of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

"The participating authorities expressed their deep commitment for immediate, short, medium, and long-term actions to strengthen the regulatory systems in safeguarding patients from contamination in medicines," a WHO spokesperson said.

(Reuters)

More For You

Rochdale grooming case

They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)

Seven men convicted of raping 13-year-old girls in Rochdale grooming case

SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.

Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.

Keep ReadingShow less
karan-thakar

Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles

Karun Collection

Karun Thakar Fund to support textile research with scholarships and grants

THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.

The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

Professor Jagtar Singh (Photo: Facebook)

Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

ASIAN health workers, academics, charity workers and campaigners are among those who have been recognised in the King’s birthday honours list announced tonight (13).

More than a thousand recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a particular focus on those who have given their time to public service, according to the Cabinet Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)

Air India crash: Probe focuses on engine and flaps; safety checks ordered for 787 fleet

THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.

The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less