Cough syrups to undergo mandatory government lab tests before export

New Delhi, May 23 (KNN) The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that from June 1 government testing of cough syrup for exports will be mandatory.

This move comes after Indian-made cough syrups were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in The Gambia and Uzbekistan.

Any cough syrup must have a certificate of analysis issued by a government laboratory before it is exported, effective June 1, the government said in a notice on Monday and shared by the health ministry on Tuesday.

World’s biggest pharmaceutical industry of USD 41 billion, India’s reputation was shaken after the World Health Organization (WHO) found toxins in cough syrups made by three Indian companies.

Syrups made by two of these companies were linked to the deaths of 70 children in The Gambia and 19 in Uzbekistan last year.

“Cough syrup shall be permitted to be exported subject to the export sample being tested and production of certificate of analysis,” said the notice issued by the trade ministry.

However it is not clear whether testing would be required for cough syrups sold in the domestic market.

The health minister and federal and state regulators also held a brainstorming session in the southern city of Hyderabad earlier this year “to find a solution to exported cough syrups that killed children.  (KNN Bureau)