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According to Livemint, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in its monthly report for September found around 112 medicines and formulations not conforming to standard quality (NSQ) in India, including some commonly used medicines like paracetamol.
This includes 52 samples identified by central drug laboratories and 60 samples tested by state drug testing laboratories.
This development comes less than a month after 24 children lost their lives due to the deadly cough problem in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara.
He had consumed locally manufactured cough syrup Coldrif, which was later found to be adulterated. It is reported to contain 48.6% diethylene glycol (DEG).
It was one of three cough syrups named by the World Health Organization in its health advisory on 13 October to warn about contaminated cough syrups. The UN body had also urged officials to report these drugs to the health agency if they are found in their countries.
In late 2023, cough syrup made in India was linked to the deaths of more than 140 children in Africa and Central Asia, prompting the government to push pharmaceutical companies to invest in making their plants compliant with WHO-recommended standards.
Coldreef-maker Srisan Pharmaceutical was one of the few small companies that sought relief and had not upgraded its facilities at that time.
Earlier this month, CDSCO initiated a review of India’s new drug approval framework, inviting comments from stakeholders to address disparities in the approval process between first-mover applicants and later entrants.