FILE PHOTO: Sushanth Kumar Thakre, 32, father of Yojita Thakre, who died after consuming Coldrif cough syrup that has been linked to the deaths of multiple children, reacts while speaking to Reuters as he sits near a framed photo of Yojita, in Parasia, Madhya Pradesh, India, October 8, 2025. - Reuters
CHHINDWARA/NEW DELHI: India has refused drugmakers' requests to extend a year-end deadline for them to upgrade their manufacturing facilities to international standards, four sources said, amid public anger over the recent deaths of at least 24 children who consumed locally-produced cough syrup.
New Delhi had in late 2023 ordered pharmaceutical companies to ensure their plants meet World Health Organisation-recommended standards, which would require them to invest in protocols to prevent cross-contamination and enable batch-testing of samples, among other measures.
