Overview
- At least 24 children died after taking Sresan Pharma’s Coldrif, which tested positive for diethylene glycol at nearly 500 times the legal limit.
- India requires contaminant testing for medicines before export, but there is no equivalent mandate for products sold locally, according to the WHO.
- Reuters has reported that authorities intend to drop the export-testing rule once factories meet international standards by a year-end deadline.
- A WHO spokesperson urged testing throughout manufacturing and highlighted a new, cheaper method; India says it is using the approach despite not attending WHO training that included countries such as Pakistan.
- CDSCO said some firms failed to conduct required batch tests, and the WHO noted no record of jail terms in India over earlier deaths, while Sresan Pharma and regulators did not respond to requests for comment.