India’s evolving pharmaceutical industry needs stringent scrutiny

These are not isolated incidents. Two years prior, 17 children died in Jammu and Kashmir after consuming syrup produced by a HP company that was found to contain high levels of diethylene glycol. In 2016, two Indian pharmaceutical companies were charged for illegally exporting counterfeit diabetes drugs. In 2013, a company pleaded guilty to felony charges over the manufacture and distribution of adulterated drugs, agreeing to pay a $500 million settlement. Most recently, the sale of fake vials of remdesivir, an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, has further questioned India’s regulatory framework for drugs.

These incidents have brought significant attention to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act that governs drug regulation in India. Public health activist and former pharma executive Dinesh Thakur told the German news Agency that the law and subsequent changes are insufficient in regulating the complexities of the Indian market, which is a union of states. Without significant changes, India risks tarnishing its reputation further and losing its position as a trusted pharmaceutical manufacturer on the global stage.

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