Editor,
The recent news of child deaths in India linked to contaminated cough syrup is a horrifying reminder of systemic failures within the pharmaceutical industry and its regulatory oversight. It is unconscionable that a product meant to provide comfort to sick children could instead be a source of fatal poisoning. These tragedies are not isolated incidents but reflect a pattern of manufacturers cutting corners, substituting cheaper industrial-grade ingredients like diethylene glycol for pharmaceutical-grade ones, and failing to perform mandatory batch testing.
While the immediate reaction has been to investigate manufacturers, we must also examine the wider regulatory system that has enabled this to happen repeatedly. As experts have noted, India’s drug regulatory system has shown inconsistency and weakness, allowing subpar or adulterated products to enter the market. The suspension of a few officials is not enough to restore public trust. True accountability must start at the top, with a complete overhaul of oversight mechanisms to ensure they are robust, independent, and well-resourced enough to do their job.
This issue transcends national borders. In recent years, Indian-made syrups linked to child deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan also highlighted these critical gaps. Each time, promises of reform were made, yet preventable deaths continue to occur.
As a community, we must demand better. Parents should have confidence that the medicine they give their children is safe. We call on regulators to enforce stricter quality controls, increase transparency, and hold all parties—from manufacturers to government agencies—fully accountable for their failures. Anything less is a betrayal of the public trust and an insult to the memory of the children who died unnecessarily.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai
Via e-mail
