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Mumbai: Maharashtra FDA initiates crackdown on claim makers after Global level questions companies manufacturing cough syrup in the state. 27 Pharma companies manufacturing cough syrup under investigation, in which notice was issued to 17 companies. The licences of six manufacturers of cough syrups in Maharashtra have been suspended for violation of rules, the state government has told the Legislative Assembly.
Minister Sanjay Rathore while replying to the attention notice of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashish Shelar and others said that show cause notices have been issued to 17 firms for violation of rules.
Selar referred to the death of 66 children in Gambia after allegedly drinking cough syrup imported from India, but added that the company facing flouting charges in that case was based in Haryana and had no presence in Maharashtra. There was no production unit.
Rathore said that out of 996 allopathic drug manufacturers in the state, 514 export their products.
Significantly, 18 children died in Uzbekistan last year after drinking cough syrup made by a Noida-based company in Uttar Pradesh. Noida Police said on Friday that they have arrested three employees of the company.
But the minister said that the company which was facing the charge of violation of rules, in that case, was based in Haryana and did not have any manufacturing unit in Maharashtra.
“We have, however, taken strict action against the violators of rules. We are ensuring that the World Health Organization’s GMP (good manufacturing practices) certification-related rules and Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products are complied with while exporting products (from the state),” he added.
Presiding officer Sanjay Shirsat said if 20 per cent of manufacturers faced raids because of suspected violation of rules, it needs to be taken very seriously as it was akin to playing with people’s lives.
