Centre to test drugs in home laboratories before exporting them

New Delhi: The Union government is actively considering a proposal to test drugs that are supposed to be exported in government laboratories before dispatch. This comes after quality issues have been arising around Indian cough syrups exported by India, PTI reported.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India's drug regulatory authority, tabled the proposal, which will make it mandatory for producers to certify their produce by authorised laboratories. Only after that Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) will clear its release.

The testing could only be done by establishments such as Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) labs viz., RDTL (Chandigarh), CDL (Kolkata), CDTI (Chennai), CDTI (Hyderabad), CDTL (Mumbai), RDTI. (Guwahati)) and NABL-accredited drug testing labs of state governments

Sources said that there were references over quality issues from the global market on Indian-made cough syrups as well as media reports. The syrups failed quality control testing abroad, and there were incidents of children dying consuming the syrups.

Further, communications have been received from the World Health Organization (WHO). Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Department of Commerce (DoC) and other organisations and departments regarding such reports and results, sources informed.

"The Government of India (GoI) has proactively identified such units and has initiated enforcement action in coordination with the states. Certain plants have been shut down, licenses cancelled, and punitive action under the Indian laws also has been taken on a case-to-case basis," the source said.

It is learnt that adulterants added to the syrups caused kidney failure in those who died consuming it. The commonly used adulterants in the syrups were where mainly diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), PTI reported.