The government has also issued a notice to the company after at least “12 flaws were found in the production of medicines during the joint inspection conducted by the drugs department teams of the Centre and state government”.

The development comes in the wake of a World Health Organisation (WHO) alert issued against the four cough syrups manufactured by the company after the death of children in The Gambia.

Haryana government had earlier sent samples of the four cough syrups manufactured by the pharmaceutical company following the WHO alert to the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kolkata. “The report is awaited and further action shall be taken accordingly. But, in the joint inspection conducted by the teams of the central and state drugs department, 12 flaws were found. Thus, we have decided that the total production of this pharmaceutical company should be stopped. A notice has been issued to the company,” Vij said.

Haryana on October 6 ordered an investigation into the reports of contaminated cough syrups being manufactured at the company’s facility in Sonipat. The samples were seized and sent to Kolkata for further examination.

India’s drug regulator – The Drugs Controller General of India had also initiated a probe.

After the WHO had potentially linked four Indian-made cough syrups to the death of 66 children in The Gambia a few days ago, Vij had said that samples had been sent to the CDL, Kolkata and further action would be taken based on the report by the laboratory.

“A senior official of the Centre’s Department of Pharmaceuticals also spoke with Haryana’s Additional Chief Secretary (Health) in the matter. The cough syrups manufactured by the pharmaceutical company were approved for export. It is not available for sale or marketing within the country. We shall be able to arrive at any conclusion, once we get the report of CDL after the samples of the syrup have been thoroughly examined there,” the minister had said.