India's pharma export surges despite cough syrup deaths: Report
Gambia and Uzbekistan due to Made in India cough syrup dented country's image as the "pharmacy of the world" providing affordable drugs globally. Indian regulators are also inspecting the faulty drugmakers. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has flagged contamination with unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal, in samples taken from a batch of cough syrup made by QP Pharmachem Ltd, based in Punjab.
The manufacturing licenses of QP Pharmachem Ltd and two other companies, whose products were linked to the child deaths - Maiden Pharmaceuticals and Marion Biotech Pvt. Ltd - have been suspended and their exports halted. All these companies have denied wrongdoings.
Gambia has made it mandatory for all Indian drugs to be tested before being exported to the African country since July 1. India has since June 1 made it compulsory for all cough syrups to be tested before export. India's exports to Russia, however, have suffered because of the Ukraine war.
Sales to the country fell 4.2% last fiscal year to $573 million, according to government data, taking Russia to the seventh position from fourth among India's biggest pharma importers. Russia's share in India's pharma exports is generally around 2.5% but has now dipped to 2.2%. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February last year and until June 5 this year, India's pharma exports to Russia fell 4.6% to about $691 million from the corresponding period a year earlier, Reuters reported.
Read more on livemint.com
