Description
No less than 17 companies received justification notices for non-compliance with the rules. The licenses of six cough syrup manufacturers in Maharashtra have been suspended for breaking the rules, the state government has told the legislature. Food and Drug Administration Minister Sanjay Rathod gave the information to the Assembly on Friday when responding to a notice of attention from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ashish Shelar and others.
A cough syrup made by a Noida, Uttar Pradesh-based company is believed to have killed 18 children in Uzbekistan last year. Noida police announced on Friday that they had arrested three company employees.
Rathod said the Maharashtra government had launched an investigation against 84 of the 108 cough syrup manufacturers in the state.
Four of them have been ordered to stop production, while the licenses of six companies have been suspended, he said.
No fewer than 17 companies received show cause notices for breaking the rules, the minister added.
Mr. Shelar referred to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia allegedly from cough syrups imported from India.
But the minister said the company accused of breaking the rules in the case was based in Haryana and had no manufacturing units in Maharashtra.
"However, we have taken strict measures against rule violators. We make sure that the rules for World Health Organization GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification and Pharmaceuticals certificate are complied with during the export of products (from the state)". added.
Chairman Sanjay Shirsat said that if 20% of manufacturers were facing raids due to an alleged rule violation, it should be taken very seriously as it was tantamount to gambling with people's lives.
Rathod said that of the state's 996 allopathic drug manufacturers, 514 export their products.
