Safety lapses, weak oversight - How children die from Indian cough syrup

India’s Drugs and Cosmetics Act prohibits the sale and handling of pharmaceutical-grade ingredients like medicinal PG by entities that do not have drug licences.

Indian officials are investigating whether safety lapses in the supply of a pharmaceutical ingredient were responsible for contaminating cough syrup that has killed at least 24 children in recent months, according to three people familiar with the matter.