India, Medicine Supplier to Caribbean, will Step Up Standards

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#India, March 6, 2023 – India says it is stepping up its pharmaceutical quality standards after being embroiled in two cases of mass infections because of substandard products made in the country.

The first case resulted in the death of dozens of children in the Gambia who ingested faulty cough syrup made in the South Asian Nation. The latest global recall of an Indian made product, ‘Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops’ distributed by EzriCare LLC and Delsam Pharma, which is in effect for the Turks and Caicos as well, left one person dead and others blind because of a bacterial infection.

Global Pharma Healthcare which makes the drops is part of a multi-billion dollar pharmaceuticals industry in India which supplies to the US, UK Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. It provides most of our cheaper generic medicines and is the third largest exporter. It is also the world’s leading supplier of vaccines.

Medicines are developed all over the world and sent off to India to be mass produced in medical manufacturing plants and while regulations are in place according to the South China Morning Post there aren’t enough regulators to cover the thousands of factories regularly. This allows substandard products to sometimes make it to the international market.

This can mean either the US, UK or Caribbean. The SCMP says in an interview Uday Bhaskar, who heads the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India promised that standards will be stepped up.

“The recent incidents, including the eye-drop issue, are going to reflect badly on the image of Indian pharma despite our significant contribution to protecting the (world) healthcare system,” he explained. “We can’t brush it off.”

The TCI Ministry of Health reminds residents to stop using ‘Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops’ distributed by EzriCare LLC and Delsam Pharma immediately and contact the Environmental Health Department for disposal instructions.