112 drug samples across India failed quality test in Sept; 49 from Himachal Pradesh alone

KULLU/Raipur: Close on the heels of deaths of over 20 children in MP after allegedly consuming toxic cough syrup , as many as 112 drug samples from across India have failed the quality test by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), report Rohit Mullick & Partha Behera. Of these, 49 are from Himachal alone, including two cough syrups.

According to the CDSCO drug alert issued for Sept, three samples of cough syrups were found to be of 'not standard quality', and one was declared 'spurious' after lab tests. The central regulatory body approves and bans drugs and also conducts monthly lab trials to test the quality of drugs.

The two cough syrups from Himachal that flunked are: Ambroxol, manufactured in Sirmaur district by Saitech Medicare Pvt Ltd, and Ambroxol HCl, manufactured by Baddi-based Naxpar Pharma Pvt Ltd. Both are used in the treatment of coughs with mucus.

Noscapine, used for treating dry cough and manufactured in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, by Om Biomedic Pvt Ltd, also didn't pass the test, while Besto-Cof, a dry cough syrup produced in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, was found to be 'spurious'. "The actual manufacturer has claimed to CDSCO that it did not manufacture this particular batch of spurious syrup," said the alert.

In Chhattisgarh, the state drug laboratory has declared 10 medicines, including four batches of albendazole and one amoxicillin tablet, as 'not of standard quality' and one as 'spurious' in its Sept testing report.