Crack down on India's fake cough syrup mafia
Selling medicine is a glossy business, rated as one of the most profitable in the world. Although there are clear standards for manufacturing medicines, it requires tragedies costing human lives to unearth the fraudulent setup existing in the business. Following the death of more than twenty children after consuming cough syrup given by a private clinic in Madhya Pradesh last October, extensive inspections were carried out at pharmaceutical companies across the country. The inputs received were shocking. It was found that many fake companies were into manufacturing cough syrups, and were continuing their fraudulent act with impunity.
The inspection also found evidence that even some big pharmaceutical companies were operating in makeshift sheds. When questioned about how they were able to gamble with the lives of these many people, the flaws in the system related to approving medicines came to light. This sector is notorious for the highest bribery rate in India. Inspections happen only during a tragedy and when lives are lost. Many children in Madhya Pradesh died after consuming cough medicine manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical Company of Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, this company was shut down after the union government banned the syrup.
The central government had also ordered that cough medicines should not be distributed from medical stores without a prescription. Even then, the investigation did not go into the list of fake companies operating and selling such medicines. Often, such companies only exist on paper. The manufacturing of the medicine could be carried out by cronies.
Five fake syrup companies operating in this way were found in Varanasi last week. Five people were arrested. It was also found that they had transacted Rs 23 crore and transferred the money abroad through hawala transactions. In the context of the Madhya Pradesh incident and the activities of such fake companies, it is welcome that the Union government is preparing to enact legislation to crack down on the cough syrup mafia.
The law currently allows the sale of cough syrup without a license in places with a population of less than a thousand. Many counterfeiters are exploiting this loophole in the law. Fake syrups are available even in small shops in North Indian hamlets. This gamble with the lives of the poor will end with the introduction of the new law. The Health Ministry released a draft of the amendment to the law. The public can express their opinions within 30 days. Those who have experienced the ill effects of consuming fake medicine should come forward to express their opinions along with evidence and documents. It is essential to crack down on fake medicine mafias at any cost to keep India's new generation healthy.