According to a government report, cough syrup samples taken from more than 100 pharmacy stores around the nation have failed quality testing. It also shows that some of the samples contained the same toxins as cough syrups connected to child deaths in the Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon.
The sub-standard batches were deemed "not of standard quality" (NSQ) for criteria such as diethylene glycol (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG), according to a report from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. The item was marked as a "matter of concern".
The cough syrup batches were deemed non-standard quality (NSQ) based on factors including DEG/EG, assay, microbial growth, pH, and volume, according to a report presented at the health ministry.
Three hundred and fifty-three of the 7,087 batches that were analyzed were deemed NSQ, while nine failed due to the presence of DEG and EG.
The investigation cited "unsecured supply chain and failure to test the propylene glycol bulk for DEG/EG, among others" as the reasons for the DEG/EG failure.
Many laboratories across the nation, both government-run and commercial, have started testing following claims that cough syrups manufactured in India were linked to 141 child deaths globally.
Cough and cold syrups made in India have been under scrutiny since the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in October 2022 that the syrups may have led to the acute kidney injury (AKI) deaths of over seventy children in the Gambia.
To map the supply chain, the CDSCO has been inspecting cough syrup manufacturing facilities and propylene glycol distributors with assistance from state drug control authorities.
"The manufacturers have been sensitized on the use of pharma-grade propylene glycol," an official stated.
State drug controllers were instructed in May of last year by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) "to give instructions to their state-owned NABL-accredited laboratories to analyze the samples received from the manufacturers of cough syrups for export purpose on top priority and issue the test report at the earliest".
Effective June of last year, exporters of cough syrups were required by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to obtain a certificate of analysis (CoA) and have their products tested at government laboratories.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States and scientists in Gambia "strongly suggested" that imported medications contaminated with ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG) caused AKI clusters in children after looking into the deaths in the small west African nation.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)
