Overview
- CDSCO directed states and Union Territories to treat revised Schedule M adoption as a top priority and to inspect units that did not seek extensions without delay.
- The notice warns that manufacturers found out of compliance during inspections will face strict action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and related rules.
- States must submit monthly reports detailing inspections conducted, observations recorded, and enforcement steps taken.
- Companies granted extensions must meet the upgraded standards by January 1, 2026, while large firms had already complied with a June 2024 deadline.
- The enforcement drive follows reports linking India-made cough syrups to child deaths in India and to more than 140 fatalities in Africa and Central Asia, as MSME groups caution the costs could shutter factories and raise prices.