India's Contaminated Cough Syrups Spark Crisis After Child Deaths

India faces growing concerns over drug safety after contaminated cough syrups caused multiple child deaths. The issue has drawn criticism from the Supreme Court and exposed gaps in the country’s regulatory system. Calls for reform are now urgent. Children in several regions died after consuming cough syrups tainted with diethylene glycol. This chemical led to kidney and liver failure in the victims. The products were labelled as Made in India.

The union government has responded by banning the sale of cough syrups without a prescription. Meanwhile, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has audited 90% of around 1,300 syrup manufacturers. Yet, the CDSCO has kept details of errant producers confidential.

The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, is outdated and fails to address modern safety challenges. Decades of regulation have not resolved systemic flaws. No unified mechanism exists to penalise drug manufacturers across all states. The Supreme Court has publicly criticised the pharmaceutical industry for damaging India’s global reputation. The government must now enforce transparency by releasing full regulatory findings under the RTI Act. Modernising the Drugs and Cosmetics Act remains essential to prevent further harm. These steps aim to restore trust in India’s drug safety standards.