India orders drugmakers to meet global standards by January after cough syrup deaths

FILE PHOTO: Saddam Mansuri shows a bottle of Coldrif cough syrup, which has been linked to the deaths of multiple children and which he had been giving to his one-year-old child, in Parasia, Madhya Pradesh, India, October 10, 2025. - Reuters

HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: India's drug regulator on Friday (Nov 7) ordered state authorities to ensure all pharmaceutical factories comply with international manufacturing standards by January, rejecting industry pleas for more time after toxic cough syrup was linked to additional child deaths since September.

The government had directed drugmakers in late 2023 to upgrade plants to World Health Organisation-recommended norms, including measures to prevent cross-contamination and enable batch testing.