New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- Two Indian drugmakers have come under regulatory scrutiny after cough syrups made by them were linked to a number of child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The central drug regulator has swung into action after finding a toxic contaminant in one of the cough syrups tested. Some states have banned the sale of these drugs.

This isn't the first time cough syrups made in India have been linked to fatalities in children. In recent years, India-made cough syrups have come under global scrutiny-they have been linked to child deaths in Uzbekistan, Iraq and The Gambia, revealing regulatory gaps in India's pharma industry.

Mint unpacks why Indian cough syrups have time and again been linked to deaths in children.

The ...