In December 2022, the World Health Organization linked Indian-made cough syrups to the acute kidney failure and deaths of 66 children in the West African country, The Gambia. WHO's laboratory analysis said the cough syrups contained "unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol," chemicals often meant for industrial use." WHO called for manufacturers to check the quality of medical products to prevent this from happening. Shortly afterward, Indian authorities shut down Maiden Pharmaceuticals in the Northern Indian state of Haryana, near Delhi, where the medicines were manufactured. At the time, NPR spoke about the issue with Dinesh S. Thakur, a public health activist, and lawyer Prashant Reddy T, authors of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India. In this follow-up interview, we examine official responses to this and other cases and check back with the authors for their perspective. Here are five takeaways.
Over the next week, we'll be looking back at some of our favorite Goats and Soda stories to see "whatever happened to ..."
