The Union Budget for 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, which was a first, had an excellent domestic macro backdrop. According to the first advance estimates, gross domestic product (GDP) in constant prices is projected to grow 7.4 per cent in the current financial year, against 6.5 per cent in 2024-25.
Liquid and powder raw materials worth Rs 2.73 lakh, chemicals worth Rs 2.59 lakh, besides vehicles, two country-made pistols, four magazines, and 14 cartridges were seized from seven accused, he said.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated a nationwide campaign to test, inspect, and audit cough syrup manufacturers following concerns about contaminated products and child deaths. The initiative aims to ensure adherence to safety standards and regulatory compliance.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) will conduct testing, inspection and auditing of cough syrup manufacturers.
India's drug regulator CDSCO has recalled three cough syrups and halted their production after the WHO raised concerns about potential contamination and links to child deaths. The WHO is investigating reports of pediatric illnesses and deaths in India potentially linked to contaminated syrups.
The imposition of a 100 per cent tariff by the US on imports of branded and patented pharmaceutical products starting October 1 may not significantly hurt Indian drug makers, with Sun Pharma being exposed to some headline risk but with limited earnings impact, according to analysts. Among Indian companies, only Sun Pharma has sizeable sales from patented drugs in the US (about 17 per cent of 2024-25 revenue), HSBC Global Investment Research said in a report.
Buoyant domestic sales are expected to lift revenues for pharma companies by 8-11 per cent in Q3FY26, even as declining generic Revlimid (cancer drug) sales in the US remain a key drag. Most brokerages forecast a modest 2-4 per cent growth in profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter. Hospitals and diagnostics companies, meanwhile, are likely to post much stronger numbers, with revenues seen growing 20-22 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y).
Mumbai police have arrested Mohammed Salim Mohammed Suhail Shaikh, a key accused in a Rs 252-crore mephedrone seizure case, after his deportation from Dubai. Shaikh, known as 'Lavish,' is a member of an international drug syndicate and managed the supply and distribution chain from Dubai.
As the potential threat of a steep 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceutical imports hangs in the air, analysts and industry insiders feel that focus on exports to non-US regions as well as domestic market will increase as a long-term trend. US President Donald Trump told CNBC's Squawk Box in the first week of August that planned tariffs on import of pharmaceutical products to the US could eventually reach up to 250 per cent.
The WHO will take a call on issuing a 'Global Medical Products Alert' on the cough syrup, Coldrif, after receiving an official confirmation from authorities here. The agency issues such alerts for substandard and contaminated medicines.
Police have arrested a doctor for alleged negligence and registered a case against the manufacturer of a 'toxic' cough syrup after the death of 14 children in Chhindwara due to suspected renal failure, officials said on Sunday.
The UK government has announced a new road safety strategy, including 'Dev's Law' named after an Indian-origin boy killed in a road accident, to reduce deaths and serious injuries on British roads.
Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla confirmed that 20 children have died after consuming contaminated cough syrup. An investigation is underway, and action has been taken against the manufacturer, doctor, and FDA officials.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday strongly rebutted allegations by Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey over 'deaths' allegedly due to the consumption of fake medicines and codeine syrup, asserting in the Assembly that no such case has come to the notice of the state government so far.
Emcure Pharmaceuticals on Monday said it saw Poviztra, its newly launched semaglutide brand, as a "long-term" opportunity in India's fast-evolving obesity and cardiometabolic therapy market, even as price competition in the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) segment intensified.
After two years of strong gains, smallcap stocks fell sharply in 2025, but the correction may be setting up opportunities for long-term investors.
Search of two premises of a firm called Apex Medichem Private Limited on Saturday led to the seizures, he said.
The Madhya Pradesh government will cover the full cost of treatment for children suffering from kidney infections after consuming a contaminated cough syrup in Chhindwara and Betul districts. This decision follows the deaths of fourteen children in Chhindwara due to suspected renal failure linked to the 'toxic' Coldrif cough syrup.
A fresh US executive order (EO) which seeks to bring down prices of prescription drugs in the country by up to 90 per cent -- on par with other developed nations -- will affect innovator companies, while sparing the Indian generic drug makers in the short term. US President Donald Trump signed the EO on Monday, directing the US Trade Representative and the Secretary of Commerce to act against foreign countries that "purposefully and unfairly undercut market prices", driving price hikes in the US.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has defended a doctor arrested in connection with cough syrup deaths in Madhya Pradesh, attributing the incident to failures in the drugs regulatory system.
S Ranganathan, the owner of the Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceuticals company that manufactured the Coldrif cough syrup linked to 20 children's deaths, has been arrested.
'Obesity is a raging conversation globally now, and manufacturing of generics will pick up after the patent expires.'
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday appealed to the people to immediately stop the sale or use of a specific batch of Coldrif syrup, following child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly linked to the medicine.
Madhya Pradesh minister Narendra Shivaji Patel blames the Tamil Nadu government for the deaths of 20 children due to contaminated cough syrup, citing negligence in inspecting medicines. The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of the syrup and ordered its removal from the market. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh criticizes the food and drug department's administration.
The toll in the case reached nine in Madhya Pradesh while media reports said of two infants died in Rajasthan.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced the removal of import duties on 12 critical minerals, lithium-ion batteries scrap, cobalt products, LED, zinc and 36 drugs for cancer and rare diseases.
Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) on Friday said US President Donald Trump's move to impose 100 per cent import tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs from October 1 will impact only patented and branded products, not generic medicines.
Among the commonly used analgesic formulations (painkillers) found NSQ are combinations of paracetamol with ibuprofen, diclofenac and mefenamic acid. Medications using these combinations are commonly used to treat fever, mild migraine, period and muscle pain.
An alleged synthetic narcotics producer, Kubbawala Mustafa, wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, was deported to India from the UAE in an operation coordinated by the CBI and Mumbai police.
The death toll from contaminated cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh has risen to 22, with two more children succumbing to kidney infections. An investigation is underway, and arrests have been made.
This innovation works by stimulating our natural organs so that it can produce and maintain the insulin balance.
The rationalisation of goods and services tax (GST), announced on Wednesday, directly lowers the cost of everyday medical consumables, and also high-end therapies in oncology and rare diseases, helping reduce out-of-pocket patient expenditure and better adherence to medication.
US President Donald Trump's plan to sign an executive order to cut prescription drug prices by 30-80 per cent could lead to a global price adjustment with pharma firms pushing lower-cost countries like India to raise prices, according to the economic think tank GTRI. The US move could push prices in lower-cost countries like India as manufacturers would seek to recover losses and R&D costs from these nations.
A government hospital in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, is investigating a complaint about worms allegedly found in a bottle of Azithromycin antibiotic medicine given to a child. The entire stock has been sealed and sent for testing following the complaint.
Health ministry advisory urges rational use of cough syrups in children after 11 deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
India is seeking either an exemption or a longer timeline on the pharmaceutical tariffs, expected to kick in by July 31.
The raids were conducted by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad and Narcotics Control Bureau jointly on Friday after the ATS received a tip-off that Ahmedabad resident Manoharlal Enani and Kuldeepsinh Rajpurohit of Rajasthan had set up mephedrone manufacturing units, the official said on Saturday.
Any industrial policy is only as good as how it is applied and the other reforms that support it. This was as true 40 years ago as it is now, points out Debashis Basu.
Following deaths allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrup, Pune FDA initiates action against pharmacies selling without prescriptions and prohibits stock from a Gujarat-based firm.
As the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is set to crack down on companies to ensure compliance with printing QR codes on top-selling brands to curb counterfeiting, top pharma companies say they welcome the regulator's mandate and that they are on track. They also view it as a positive step to ensure patient safety. Sheetal Arora, CEO of Mankind Pharmaceuticals, which has already adopted QR codes in 20 of their products, stated: "We strongly advocate for mandatory implementation of barcodes and QR codes on medicines as this initiative will not only protect patients but also strengthen the integrity of our healthcare system by reducing circulation of counterfeit drugs."
