Killer cough syrups!:Which is the highest-selling cough syrup in India? Exports projected to grow nearly 3x in 10 years despite past deaths

Several states have already banned the Coldrif cough syrup. Dozens of innocent children have fallen victim to the venomous formulation. The government of India has advised the rational use of cough syrups. But did you know this is not the first time that children have died after consumption of India made cough syrups. Even shameful thing is that some of these deaths have been reported in countries abroad as well from consumption of syrups exported from India. Over the past year, reports have emerged from countries like Gambia, Uzbekistan, etc linking acute kidney injuries and deaths in children to contaminated cough syrups manufactured in India. But even after all these mishaps, the size of Indian cough syrup industry has only grown in size. This market value of the formulations made by Indian pharma companies has only augmented in past many years. According to Market Research Future, the value of cough syrups made domestically was $0.26 billion in the calendar year 2024. This is projected to swell up to $0.74 billion in 2035 at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 9%. India Cough Syrup Market Now, lets see which was the company that had manufactured the defective Coldrif syrups? It is a Tamil Nadu based pharma firm, Sresan Pharmaceuticals. It is not that this is a new company in this field. It has rich experience of over 35 years. It was incorporated around 1990. Now lets find out which cough syrups are mostly sold in India: According to Apollo Pharmacy, following are the most loved cough formulations in India: Key players in the market: Several major companies are leading the way in the cough syrup market. Dabur India, Patanjali Ayurved, and Abbott India are among the top sellers. India’s pharma industry: Now, we will see the status of India’s pharma industry as a whole. India is the third largest pharmaceutical market in the world by volume. According to a press release by the government of India, India’s pharmaceutical market for FY 2023-24 was valued at $50 billion. India exports more than half of total domestic drug production. In FY24, out of the total pharmaceutical production, the country exported medicines worth $26.5 billion which accounted for 53% of total exports. The industry has only grown in size, here. And it is projected to keep growing going forward. US is India’s biggest drug buyer: Albeit, the high tariffs on India’s drug exports to the US can become an impediment. But till now America does remain our largest buyer. According to the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, the export market too has only ballooned over time. The export of drugs made in India are expected to shoot up to $130 billion in 10 years. This is more over 10 times the current levels. So, why world continues to buy Indian drugs despite cough syrup linked deaths? India is often called the “Pharmacy of the World” because it is the largest supplier of generic medicines globally. Despite, the cough syrup linked deaths, the world has continued to buy the India made formulations. One of the major reasons behind this is that Indian drugs are cheaper. It would be costlier for countries to manufacture the drugs on their own rather than import it from India.