Central govt. impose new rules for cough syrup exports from June 1

The decision was taken after India-made cough syrups were allegedly linked to the deaths of 66 and 18 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.

Hyderabad: The government has set new rules for exporting cough syrup from June 1, 2023. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) states that cough syrup exports should undertake testing of their products at the specified government laboratories starting June 1 before getting approval for international shipments.

The decision was taken after India-made cough syrups were allegedly linked to the deaths of 66 and 18 children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year. The DGFT stated in the notification that “the export of cough syrup shall be permitted to be exported subject to export samples being tested and the production of a certificate of analysis issued by any of the laboratories… with effect from June 1, 2023.”

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