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NEW DELHI: A blanket ban on the sale, distribution and storage of Coldrif cough syrup is likely to be imposed in the national capital after the syrup was linked to the deaths of at least 20 children in Madhya Pradesh. The Delhi Drug Control Department (DDC) has directed all pharmaceutical stockists to submit detailed inventories of Coldrif and other cough syrups with similar chemical compositions. Officials said manufacturers and retailers have also been ordered to furnish records to the respective drug inspectors as part of an ongoing crackdown on potentially toxic cough syrups. "We have initiated a special survey to trace the supply chain, including wholesalers and retailers selling these syrups," an official from the DDC said. More than 20 teams comprising drug inspectors, local administration and police personnel have been deployed across the city to inspect drug stores and seize suspicious consignments. The teams have been instructed to submit a detailed report to the Delhi Health Minister and Chief Secretary within the next few days.
India's pharmaceutical industry, valued at $50 billion, is booming as a global leader in generic drugs. With significant exports to 200+ countries, India meets a substantial portion of global demand for affordable medicine. Challenges include regulatory hurdles and quality assurance, as the nation aims to expand its generic drug market. The Indian pharmaceutical industry, currently valued at $50 billion, is playing an increasingly crucial role on the global stage. Renowned as the 'pharmacy of the world,' India's pharma sector is a major exporter, supplying essential generic drugs to over 200 ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. Also Read | Student Gang-Raped at South Kolkata Law College: Police Arrest 3 Youths for Sexually Assaulting Young Woman Inside Law College. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J. ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): The Indian government expressed regret on Tuesday over the reported demolition of the ancestral property of celebrated filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh and expressed its willingness to extend cooperation in its restoration. "We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished," the Ministry of External Affairs said. Also Read | India Urges Bangladesh ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Aug 1 (UNI) In a major blow to the illegal pharma opioid supply network amidst the ongoing war against drugs in the state, the Amritsar Police Commissionerate has unearthed a Tramadol supply chain, that originated from a small recovery of 35 tablets in Amritsar and led to a manufacturing unit in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The breakthrough came after a meticulous investigation into the initial recovery and arrest of local peddler Ravinder Singh alias Nikka, in an FIR registered at Police Station A-Division, Amritsar. Through backward and forward linkages, police escalated the recovery ...Read More >
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Trade talks between India and the European Union have entered a crucial phase and negotiators are working intensively to meet a year-end deadline for signing the free trade pact, a top European Union Official said on Tuesday. The EU is India's biggest trading partner in goods, with bilateral trade hitting $137.5 billion in the 2023/24 fiscal year, up nearly 90% over the past decade. "We are now maximising our efforts to finalise negotiations by the end of the year," Maros Sefcovic, EU trade chief, said at an event, noting they were working on a deal to "unlock investment ...Read More >
CHENNAI: A week after reporting poor manufacturing and laboratory practices in Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactured the lethal cough syrup that killed more than 20 children in Madhya Pradesh, the state health department suspended two former senior drug inspectors on charges of negligence for failing to inspect the unit, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said here on Thursday.Senior drug inspectors, Deepa Joseph and K Karthikeyan, who served in the Kancheepuram zone, were placed under suspension. "They did not inspect the manufacturing unit and initiate necessary steps to stop pro ...Read More >
New Delhi -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday issued a health advisory warning against the use and distribution of three cough syrups believed to be responsible for the deaths of several children in India over the last month. The drugs were identified as specific batches of Coldrif, Respifresh TR and ReLife, the WHO said in a statement, manufactured by three Indian companies: Sresan Pharmaceutical, Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and Shape Pharma. The oral liquid drugs were found to conta ...Read More >
Hyderabad: A devastating explosion at a chemical manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram industrial area in Sangareddy district, claimed 15 lives and left 34 workers injured. The tragic incident occurred on Monday at Sigachi Industries Pvt Ltd which manufactures microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder used in pharmaceutical, food and other industries. Eyewitnesses said there was a loud explosion, shaking nearby areas and sending thick black smoke into the sky. The factory was soon engulfed in flames, triggering panic among employees and nearby residents. The incident occurred around 9 am on Monday ...Read More >
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 1 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla has sparked controversy by denying any link between contaminated cough syrup and the deaths of six children in Chhindwara district. Despite ongoing investigations, Shukla stated that preliminary findings show no contamination in the syrup, claiming, "These deaths did not occur due to the cough syrup for sure," ahead of the examination report, with samples sent to laboratories in Nagpur and Pune for analysis. Reacting to the issue, Health Minister Shukla told reporters, " ...Read More >
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday launched searches at seven locations in Chennai in connection with the Coldrif cough syrup case, which led to the deaths of several children. The raids are being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and are linked to Sreesan Pharma, the manufacturer of the syrup that is now banned across several states in the country. Premises being searched by the central probe agency reportedly include residences of top offic ...Read More >
The government has reopened the application period for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for white goods, covering air conditioners and LED lights, until November 10. The move comes after a strong response from the industry and rising investment interest under the programme. Originally, the fourth round of applications was open from September 15 to October 14. The reopening gives manufacturers additional time to participate and benefit from incentives designed to boost domestic produc ...Read More >
Chennai: Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, controlled by the Prathap Reddy family, has announced a significant reorganisation where its pharmacy distribution and digital health operations will be carved out into a separate entity. This new entity, Apollo Healthtech, will seek listing on stock exchanges over the next 18 to 21 months, with current Apollo Hospitals shareholders receiving proportionate shares in the new company. The deal will create a leading omni-channel pharmacy distribution and digital health platform in India with revenues of Rs 16,300 crore ($1.9 billion), Apollo Hospitals said in ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Officials of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh have revealed that the top 20 property tax defaulters of the city are yet to clear dues of over Rs 190 crore, while property tax arrear cases worth Rs 62 crore are under litigation in the Punjab and Haryana high court. Citing different reasons, occupants of seven properties, out of the top 20, have challenged the MC's arrears amount, following which the authority failed to recover the amount from them. All these properties fall under the commercial category. As per official data of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, commercial prope ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): India's overall trade deficit (merchandise and services combined) widened to USD 11.72 billion in July 2025, up from USD 10.10 billion in the same month last year, driven by a sharper rise in imports than exports, according to the data released by the Commerce & Industry Ministry.The data shows that the overall exports stood at USD 68.25 billion in July 2025, marking a growth from the same month of the previous year at USD 65.31 billion.On the other hand, imports of the country grew at a faster pace, reaching USD 79.99 billion compared with USD 75.41 billion ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the manufacturing licences of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the Kancheepuram-based firm that produced the toxic batch of Coldrif cough syrups linked to the deaths of 14 children in Madhya Pradesh. Of the children who died, 11 were from Parasia sub-division, two from Chhindwara city and one from Chaurai tehsil. On Sunday, the Parasia police arrested a government doctor for alleged negligence and registered a case against Sresan Pharmaceuticals, officials said. State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said the State Drug Control dep ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) In view of pediatrician's arrest following deaths of children due to the consumption of a "contaminated" cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday sought Union Health Minister JP Nadda's intervention into the matter and immediate withdrawal of the case against the bona fide medical practitioner. Condemning the action taken against the Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP), IMA said the root cause of this tragedy is the failure of quality control at the level of the manufacturer, and the subsequent failure of the regulatory system r ...Read More >
A government hospital in Gwalior has sealed its entire stock of Azithromycin antibiotic after a complaint alleged worms were found in a bottle given to a child. This incident follows recent child deaths in Madhya Pradesh linked to a toxic cough syrup. Samples of the antibiotic have been sent for testing. Amid child deaths linked to a toxic cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, a government hospital in Gwalior is now facing a complaint over worms allegedly found in a bottle of antibiotic medicine given ...Read More >
The Centre had in late 2023 ordered pharmaceutical companies to ensure their plants meet WHO-recommended standards (File image) The central government 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. The Centre had in late 2023 ordered pharmaceutical companies to ensure their pl ...Read More >
The owner of a Tamil Nadu firm, Ranganathan Govindan, has been remanded in judicial custody in connection with the deaths of over 20 children in Madhya Pradesh due to contaminated cough syrup. The firm's manufacturing unit has been sealed, and other individuals involved, including a doctor who prescribed the syrup, are already in custody. Ranganathan Govindan, owner of a Tamil Nadu-based firm that manufactured contaminated cough syrup 'Coldrif' linked to the deaths of more than 20 children in Ma ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) on Friday said US President Donald Trump's move to impose 100 per cent import tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs from October 1 will impact only patented and branded products, not generic medicines. Reacting to the development, IPA Secretary General Sudarshan Jain said in a statement, "It is not applicable to generics medicines." Trump's statement refers to patented and branded products supplied to US, he added. In his post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100% Tari ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Ravada A Chandrasekhar took charge as the new State Police Chief on Tuesday. He succeeds Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who retired on June 30. His tenure will run until July 1, 2027. A 1991-batch IPS officer currently serving as Special Director with the Intelligence Bureau, Chandrasekhar is on central deputation. He was selected over Nitin Agarwal, who topped the official list of probables. The appointment order, issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak on behalf of the Governor, was released soon after a cabinet meeting held on Monday. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Godav ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): India overall trade deficit (merchandise and services combined) widened to USD 11.72 billion in July 2025, up from USD 10.10 billion in the same month last year, driven by a sharper rise in imports than exports, according to the data released by the Commerce & Industry Ministry. The data shows that the overall exports stood at USD 68.25 billion in July 2025, marking a growth from the same month of the previous year at USD 65.31 billion. On the other hand, imports of the country grew at a faster pace, reaching USD 79.99 billion compared with USD 75.41 billi ...Read More >
Delhi Air Pollution: As the Air Quality Index (AQI) remains in the 'very poor' category, increasing the risks of health problems, especially respiratory issues, the former director of AIIMS Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria, on Wednesday said that those who have underlying respiratory conditions, need to be extra careful. Guleria, who is also the Chairman of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Medanta The Medicity, noted that to some extent, the rising air pollution can be termed a public health emergency because it is going to lead to increased symptoms, with more people coming to t ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 26 (ANI): The Pharmaceutical companies and chemists in Shimla have begun implementing the revised GST night tariff on medicines, bringing much-needed relief to patients and the poor. Managers and pharmacy owners in the capital confirmed that the new reforms, effective as of September 22, have already reduced the prices of many essential and life-saving medications. Mahesh Bisht, Manager at a pharmaceutical company, explained the changes, "From September 22, the new GST reforms and tariffs have come into effect. Items that were earlier under the 12% ...Read More >
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 29: As India observes World Heart Day, the conversation around cardiovascular health has once again turned to prevention, timely treatment, and most importantly, access to affordable medicines for everyone. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in India at 28.1%, with more than half a billion people affected by a heart ailment. While treatment protocols have advanced, the cost of long-term medication continues to be a burden for many families. More so if one takes into account the fact that almost half of them cannot afford the medication. Als ...Read More >
The World Health Organization is seeking details from India regarding a cough syrup linked to child deaths. Several Indian states have banned the 'Coldrif' syrup. Lab reports confirmed it contained a toxic industrial solvent. A criminal case has been registered against the manufacturer, Sresan Pharma. The doctor who prescribed the syrup has been arrested. The World Health Organization on Wednesday sought clarification from Indian authorities on whether a cough syrup linked to deaths of children ...Read More >
Given that deaths have now been reported across multiple states, this cannot remain a state-specific inquiry. It needs a coordinated, multi-state probe under the supervision of central agencies such as the CBI and the Union Health Ministry Over the past month, at least 20 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have lost their lives after consuming contaminated cough syrup. In MP's Chhindwara district alone, where nine deaths occurred, families reported a distressing similarity. The children fi ...Read More >
A-1 Limited informs the stock exchanges that it has entered a new long-term supply agreement for concentrated nitric acid. The tri-partite deal involves Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited, Solar Industries India Limited with its group companies, and A-1 Limited. The committed quantity is 10,000 metric tonnes. Supplies are scheduled between November 2025 and March 2026. Under this supply structure, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited will produce and sell co ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): In one of the largest crackdowns on the illegal pharmaceutical trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled an international drug trafficking syndicate operating across four continents, using encrypted digital platforms, cryptocurrency, and anonymous shipping networks, an official statement said. The breakthrough began with the interception of a vehicle near Bengali Market in Delhi on May 25, 2025, ultimately uncovering a vast transnational operation with links to India, the US, Australia, and Europe. The investigation was launched after the NCB H ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's goods exports in June fell a tad from a year earlier, but a sharper drop in imports aided the trade deficit to narrow to a four-month low. Exports reduced 0.05% year-on-year to $35.14 billion, a seven month low, while imports fell 3.71% to $53.92 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $18.78 billion compared with $20.84 billion in June last year. Exports to the US in the past month rose sharply to $25.52 billion from $20.89 billion, despite the base tariff on Indian goods shippe ...Read More >