Recently, a pharmaceutical plant produced in India has been found to contain toxic substances, and as of 8 local time, 20 children have died after taking toxic ingredients.The Indian drug regulator said on 8th, the latest inspection of several Indian pharmaceutical companies found that some pharmaceutical factories have violated the law and failed to detect each batch of drug raw materials as required.
The Indian Drug Regulatory Authority’s announcement did not provide the name and number of the infringing companies, but said the subject of the inspection was the company that had previously detected “inqualified drugs”.
According to Reuters, two companies under inspection are located in Gujarat, the Indian pharmaceutical hub. The local government said on the 7th that the cough syrup samples produced by the two companies were considered "substandard." Gujarat and central investigators found multiple problems and have ordered the immediate cessation of all production and sales activities.
Earlier this month, the Indian drug regulatory agency investigated and dealt with a pharmaceutical company named "Sresan Pharmaceutical", which is located in Tamil Nadu, southern India. The level of diethylene glycol in its cough syrup reached nearly 500 times the prescribed upper limit. The police are investigating this company for "murder", and the Indian central government suggested revoking its production license.
According to some Indian media reports, the batch is only sold in India. However, on the 8th, the World Health Organization asked the Indian government to explain whether the batch has been exported to other countries. The World Health Organization said that it will assess whether it is necessary to issue a Global Medical Products Alert on the batch after receiving official confirmation from the Indian government.
Reuters said India provides 40% of generic drugs to the United States and more than 90% of drugs to many African countries. Drugs produced in India are exported in large quantities to developing countries. From 2022 to 2023, India's export of diethylene glycol-containing "toxic syrup" is believed to be linked to the deaths of more than 140 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon.
Source: CCTV Finance