Cough syrup makers see healthy future, say controversies won't dent demand

Pharma industry insiders claimed that most contamination-related problems arise due to solvents

For the past two-and-a-half years, India’s Rs 5,400-crore cough syrup market has been front and centre of public attention, not always in a positive way. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic saw cough syrup sales jump, with the characteristic dry cough being a common after-effect of the virus. At the same time, the government has been deliberating on a ban on codeine-based cough syrups, a move that has added uncertainty to the future of a Rs 438-crore segment of the market. Finally, with the recent deaths of 66 children in The Gambia linked to India-made cough syrups many questions have