India's drug control body disqualifies 40 cough syrup companies
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New Delhi: In a quality test conducted by India's drug control on various brands of cough syrups, in the wake of many children dying out of consuming the medicine, more than 40 companies failed to pass, IANS reports.
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) conducted the test in various states in India after India-made cough syrups took 141 children's lives globally.
The CDSCO report stated that out of the 1,105 samples tested, 59 samples were declared 'not of standard quality'. CDSCO released the report in November, listing a list of drugs, medical devices and cosmetics declared as 'not of standard quality' or 'spurious' or 'adulterated' or 'misbranded'.
The data has come from the test reports of government testing labs. The report said that no samples were found to be spurious or misbranded.
The move came after several deaths were reported globally after consuming India-made cough syrups. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) after these deaths, had made it mandatory for exporters to seek government clearance on the quality of cough syrups.
Noting the DGFT requirement, CDSCO has been testing all the batches of cough syrups which seek export permission.
It was from June 1, a Central government rule mandated testing of exporting medicines in specified laboratories before getting permission for shipment.
The direction has come after quality concerns were raised globally for cough syrups exported by Indian firms.
"The export of cough syrup shall be permitted to be exported subject to export samples being tested and production of a certificate of analysis issued by any of the laboratories..., with effect from June 1, 2023," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.