From now onwards, the companies involved in the manufacturing of cough syrups will have to get approval from the government lab to export.According to the notice issued by the health department, India will only allow the export of cough syrup after the samples are tested in a government laboratory. The decision has been taken by the government following the dozens of deaths reported in Gambia and Uzbekistan.The notice issued by the health ministry on May 22 says that any cough syrup must have a certificate of analysis issued by a government lab before the export. The order will come into effect from June 1.The notice from the trade ministry stated, “Cough syrup shall be permitted to be exported subject to the export sample being tested and presentation of a certificate of analysis.According to sources, Indian-made cough syrups were blamed for the deaths of 19 people in Uzbekistan and 70 children in the Gambia last year, damaging the countrys USD 41 billion pharmaceutical sectors reputation. India was thinking about changing its pharmaceutical sector regulations, which might involve testing more cough syrups and medicinal raw materials.The notice issued by the department says, “The export of cough syrup under ITC (HS) codes falling under the heading 3004 shall be permitted subject to the export sample being tested and production of Certificate of Analysis (CoA) issued by any of the laboratories as mentioned, with effect from June 1, 2023.”The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, the central medicines lab in Kolkata, the regional testing labs in Chandigarh and Guwahati, and the central drug testing labs in Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad are among the listed central government laboratories.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will collaborate with the exporters to make sure that this new notification is implemented correctly.