From June 1, 2023, cough syrup makers in India will be required to have samples examined and cleared by a government-certified laboratory before exporting the syrups. The decision to perform quality inspections before shipment was taken after India-manufactured syrups were connected to several deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.

On Monday, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) announced that the export of "cough syrup" will be permitted after the export sample has been tested at one of the central governments designated laboratories. The official noted that a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) issued by any of the laboratories mentioned in the notification will take effect on June 1, 2023.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, regional drug testing labs (RDTL, Chandigarh), central drug labs (CDL, Kolkata), central drug testing labs (CDTL, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai), and NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited state government drug testing labs are among the specified central government labs.

In 2022, the pharmaceutical industry in India experienced a significant setback when cough syrups produced by two companies were implicated in the deaths of approximately 70 children in Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan.

According to the World Health Organisation, the cough syrups sold by Maiden Pharmaceuticals, an Indian firm, contained hazardous chemicals, namely ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG). Similarly, in December 2022, the government of Uzbekistan disclosed that the cough syrup made by Marion Biotech was tainted with EG or DEG, which led to the deaths of infants.

(Source: https://www.cnbctv18.com/healthcare/india-makes-prequality-cough-syrup-check-mandatory-before-export-16733221.html )