How India tightened cough syrup checks after 24-kid death tragedy
After the heartbreaking deaths of 24 young children from toxic cough syrup last year, India's drug regulator checked nearly 90% of cough syrup manufacturers and found widespread safety violations, including untested ingredients.
What led to the global alert?
The tragedy started when kids in Madhya Pradesh died after taking Coldrif syrup, which shockingly contained almost 50% toxic diethylene glycol.
Fatalities in Rajasthan were linked to a different product.
Madhya Pradesh quickly banned the syrup, Tamil Nadu authorities suspended the manufacturer's license, and the manufacturer's owner was arrested.
Other states recalled similar products, and the WHO issued a global warning about these contaminated medicines.
What has been done since?
Protective inspections as a practice began in 2022, but the large-scale crackdown that led to inspections of about 90% of cough syrup makers (around 1,100 firms) took place after the deaths in October 2025.
Regulators also carried out protective inspections of roughly 1,250 additional units.
Plans are in motion to hire more inspectors and use AI for better checks.
Export clearances were streamlined for some regions, and export testing requirements for cough syrups were introduced.
Impact on India's reputation as a drug manufacturer
This crisis has put a spotlight on medicine safety in India—the world's pharmacy—and raised big questions about exports.
The hope is that tighter rules will stop tragedies like this from happening again.