Modi government mulls policy change after cough syrup deaths abroad: report

Months after reports linked cough syrups manufactured in India were linked to deaths of children in countries such as The Gambia and Uzbekistan, the South Asian nation, called the "world's pharmacy", is considering a change to its pharmaceutical industry policy, Reuters reported citing a document from the office of prime minister Narendra Modi, which said "important things" about the industry have been "overlooked".

A brainstorming session was held in Hyderabad in the southern state of Telangana "to find a solution to exported cough syrups that killed children," the PM's office (PMO) said in the document dated May 15, said Reuters which reviewed it.

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Mariama Kuyateh, 30, holds up a picture of her late son Musawho died from acute kidney failure, in Banjul on October 10, 2022, - Gambian police on October 8, 2022, announced an investigation into four cough syrups made by the Indian Pharma company Maiden Pharmaceuticals, after the WHO said they could be responsible for the deaths of 66 Gambian children, most under 5-years-old. Nearly half of The Gambia's population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. (Photo by MILAN BERCKMANS/AFP via Getty Images)

Indian health minister Mansukh Mandaviya attended the session which took place in February along with regulators from New Delhi and the states, according to a statement from the country's health ministry that did not mention cough syrups, the news outlet reported.

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"Tweak in policy is mooted," the document from the PMO said, adding that "important things" had been "overlooked".

It did not give details.

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One informed source told Reuters the change in policy could mean increased oversight of India's huge pharmaceutical industry worth $41 billion. It is the world's largest supplier of generic drugs.

The source added that increased testing of cough syrups and raw materials for drugs in general is one of the measures which is under consideration.

The statement, not reported previously, seems to be the first time that India's PMO has addressed the cough syrup controversy.

The country's drug regulator -- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) -- has proposed testing cough syrups in government laboratories before their exports, News18.com reported on Tuesday (16).

Last year, the World Health Organization found that cough syrups manufactured by an Indian drug company included dangerous levels of two known toxins that led to deaths of at least 70 minors. India denied a link between the syrups and the deaths.

New Delhi acted against another Indian company whose cough syrups were connected to deaths of 19 children in Uzbekistan.

In February, the CDSCO suspended manufacturing of eye drops at a firm in Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu after the US Food and Drug Administration allegedly linked 55 adverse cases resulting from contaminated eye drops.