Amid US watchdog heat, it is life as usual at Global Pharma'S Chennai unit

The firm ran into trouble after the US FDA informed it of 55 cases of adverse events on the use of its eye drops, some of which caused permanent loss of vision and at least one caused death

The air in and around SIDCO Pharmaceutical Complex at Alathur, some 52 km from Chennai, is filled with odours generated from various organic and inorganic compounds.

With several pharmaceutical plants located in the area, finding the unit of Global Pharma Healthcare was a difficult task, as neither the locals nor Google maps knew where exactly it stood. When Business Standard finally found the plant, it did not appear like a unit surrounded by controversies, facing heat from drug regulators and the United States watchdog. For those in and around the plant, it was work as usual.

One could see a