The death of over 20 children in MP is not the first time when innocent lives were lost because of India’s poor drug safety. In 2023, cough syrups containing diethylene glycol were linked to the deaths of 70 children in Gambia. Between December 2019 and January 2020, at least 12 infants died in Jammu after consuming cough syrups.
In this interview, public health activist Dinesh Thakur tells Alishan Jafri why India’s recurring tragedies caused by toxic cough syrups are not surprising for him anymore. He talks about the root causes of these preventable tragedies and explains
why drug safety lapses continue to endanger children’s lives in India.
17/10/2025