Child Deaths Spark Nationwide Cough Syrup Probe

India’s central drug regulator has launched risk-based inspections at 19 pharmaceutical manufacturing units across six states, including makers of cough syrups and antibiotics, after reports of child deaths allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

- KO News Desk

‘The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) began inspections on October 3, the Union Health Ministry said Saturday, with the aim of identifying gaps in production that may have caused drug quality failures and recommending improvements to prevent similar tragedies.

‘A team of experts from the National Institute of Virology, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, CDSCO and AIIMS-Nagpur is still analysing various samples and environmental factors to determine the exact cause of the deaths in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.