WHO Warns India Still has Work to Curb Toxic Cough Syrups

WHO Warns India Still has Work to Curb Toxic Cough Syrups

Industry Outlook Team | Wednesday, 22 October 2025

 WHO Warns India Still has Work to Curb Toxic Cough Syrups

India continues to be a difficult place regarding the total elimination of toxic cough syrup sales, says a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO). The news comes after 24 children died, at the very least, after taking the Coldrif cough syrup made by Sresan Pharma, which was found to contain diethylene glycol nearly 500 times the allowed level.

These situations happen just 24 months after worldwide promises to make stricter regulations following the deaths of more than 300 children globally due to toxins in syrup-based medicines from India and Indonesia. Although India has brought in a rule that requires medicines to be tested for contaminants like diethylene and ethylene glycol before export, there is no such regulation for syrups that are sold locally - a "regulatory gap" as referred to by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rutendo Kuwana, from WHO, highlighted the issues of enforcement of production, thorough testing, and increased accountability. There is worry about discontinuing current export testing regulations once companies have upgraded their facilities, and even though WHO has held training sessions on toxin testing, Indian officials have not attended, while India states that it is using the latest testing methods. Kuwana was critical of the past incidents where no legal consequences were met, saying that production of medicines not meeting safety standards is a serious moral and legal issue because of the fatal outcomes.

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Concerns raised by the WHO are a loud call for India to have a well-rounded regulation and accountability system in its pharmaceutical sector to avert such occurrences in the future.

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