of the cough syrups confirmed that they contained"unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants," which when consumed, can prove fatal.
In March, the Indian Health Ministry asked India's Department of Pharmaceuticals to devise a list of 300 widely used drug brands, so that they could put QR codes on the boxes. The QR code would assure both pharmacists and customers that the medication was authentic and that it could be traced back to the company that produced it in case of any complaints.
A lack of a global regulatory framework for pharmaceutical quality is sorely felt, the authors say, because these companies cannot be held to account for the harm they cause, either by their own governments or by a global body such as the WHO.