Pharmacy of the underworld: Are India's pharmaceutical regulations failing? The shocking deaths from contaminated cough syrup demand answers

WHO has warned of cough syrups contaminated with DEG and ethylene glycol (EG), linking them to over 300 child deaths worldwide since 2022. To help regulators, it has developed a 2-tier testing method that includes thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for initial screening, followed by gas chromatography for confirmation.DEG, typically used in antifreeze and brake fluids, is lethal even in small quantities, causing kidney failure. Presence of high concentrations in Coldrif suggests a breakdown in manufacturing pr ...