After cough syrup deaths, Gujarat govt suspends operations of 2 pharma firms

Ahmedabad: Amid reports of deaths of children in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to consumption of contaminated cough syrups, the Gujarat government on Tuesday said that it has ordered two pharmaceutical firms, under investigation, to suspend manufacturing immediately.

The government said that after an "intensive inspection" the two firms- Surendranagar-based Shape Pharma Pvt Ltd and Ahmedabad-based Rednex Pharmaceuticals Ltd- have been ordered to suspend its operations.

These two firms have come under the scanner following the tragic deaths of the children after they consumed cough syrup produced by them.

"Based on deficiencies found in the inspection reports, both companies have been ordered to immediately suspend drug manufacturing.

They have also been strictly instructed to recall all batches of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) drugs from the market without delay," state health minister Rushikesh Patel said in a press conference.

In a statement, the government said that as a precautionary measure, 14 additional cough syrup samples have been collected from both the firms and sent to government laboratories for testing. Patel clarified that these two firms were not on the "buyer list" of the state-owned medicine procurement firm Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Ltd.