As WHO Flags India-Made Syrups, Health Minister Responds With 'Fact-Check'

Soon after the World Health Organisation flagged seven India-made syrups during a probe on contaminated medicines and syrups linked to over 300 deaths globally, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asserted that India follows a zero-tolerance policy on spurious medicines.

71 companies have been issued show-cause notices following concerns about the deaths linked to India-made syrups, and 18 of them have been asked to shut shop, the minister told news agency PTI.

Mr Mandaviya also said an extensive risk-based analysis is done continuously to ensure the production of quality medicines in the country, and the government and regulators are always alert to ensure that no one dies due to spurious medicines.

"We are the pharmacy of the world, and we want to assure everyone that we are the 'quality pharmacy of the world'," he told PTI.

In February, Tamil Nadu-based Global Pharma Healthcare recalled its entire lot of eye drops. Before that, India-made cough syrups were allegedly linked to the deaths of 66 and 18 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan, respectively, last year.

Mansukh Mandaviya also stressed that facts should be examined when such questions are raised. He said nobody at the WHO got back to the government when they wrote to them about the 49 children allegedly dying in Gambia.

He said, "We checked the samples of one company. We tried to find out the cause of death, and we found that the child had diarrhoea. If a child had diarrhoea, who recommended cough syrup for that child?" The minister further said that a total of 24 samples were taken, of which four failed.

"The question is if there was just one batch made for exports and if that fails, all samples would fail. It is not possible that 20 samples are passed and four samples fail. Still, we are alert. We are continuously doing risk-based analysis to ensure the production of quality medicines in our country," he said.

20 syrups, manufactured by pharmaceuticals from India and Indonesia, have been flagged by the WHO, a WHO spokesperson told NDTV. These medicines include cough syrups and vitamins manufactured by various pharmaceuticals.

India's drug controller had launched a swift probe on manufacturers, including Noida's Marion Biotech, Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Chennai-based Global pharma, and Punjab's QP Pharmachem, halting their operations.

Sources at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the national regulatory body for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, said the Health Ministry's new mechanism of making sure that all medicines are tested for quality control before exports will make sure there are corrective measures.