Praja Arogya Vedika (PAV), affiliated to Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, wrote to the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers, J.P. Nadda, expressing concern over the persistent issue of substandard and spurious medicines in the country.
The recent deaths of 12 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, linked to contaminated cough syrups containing toxic diethylene glycol (DEG), underscore the urgent need for stringent action to protect patients and strengthen the country’s drug regulatory framework, the PAV members wrote in the letter.
They opined that the Central government’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ policy, while aimed at fostering industrial growth, has inadvertently weakened drug quality control. The reliance on self certification by manufacturers, coupled with inadequate inspections, has allowed substandard and spurious drugs to proliferate, they added.
Keeping in view the recent incidents of deaths of children due to contamination of drugs, the PAV has urged the government to strengthen the regulatory framework, amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, to include mandatory recall mechanisms, harsher penalties, and faster prosecution for manufacturers of substandard and spurious drugs.
They urged the government to increase the number of drug inspectors and testing laboratories to enhance monitoring capacity and to punish offenders stringently.
Published – October 06, 2025 11:38 pm IST
