Business News›Prime›Pharma›The cough syrups linked to child deaths in Africa: a wake-up call for India’s drug regulators

Invest with Confidence. Lead with Insights.

Drench in the knowledge with exclusive insights, ePaper & smart market tools with ETPrime.

START YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Pharma

The cough syrups linked to child deaths in Africa: a wake-up call for India’s drug regulators

Orientation of volunteers and Recall exercise in progress in partnership with @GambiaRedCross; image credit: @WHOGAMBIA via Twitter

Synopsis
The World Health Organisation says cough syrups supplied by an Indian company are linked to the deaths of 66 children in Africa’s Gambia. The incident puts the spotlight on India’s weak drug regulatory system, which experts say has acquired a reputation and has been often found lacking due to a history of corruption.

With a population of less than 2.5 million, Gambia is a speck on the African map. Last week, however, it shot into international headlines when the World Health Organization (WHO) said that substandard cough syrups made by an Indian company were linked to the deaths of 66 children in the tiny African nation. The cough syrups were supplied by Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which has factories in Kundli and Panipat in Haryana. The company has

( Originally published on Oct 10, 2022 )