Hundreds of Indian cough syrup samples fail quality check

More than 300 samples of Indian-manufactured cough syrups have failed quality checks due to the presence of dangerous toxins, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.

According to Report, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) detected the presence of harmful substances, namely diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, in 335 out of over 7,000 samples of these medicinal products. These chemicals can cause severe kidney damage and even death if consumed, especially by children.

India has ramped up its monitoring of cough syrup quality following a tragic incident in October 2022, when the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that four children's medicines produced by India's Maiden Pharmaceuticals may have been linked to the deaths of 66 children in Gambia.

The WHO investigation revealed that promethazine oral solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup, all manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals at its facility in Sonipat, contained toxins that could have caused kidney failure in the children and led to their untimely demise.