India’s Union Health Ministry has revoked the manufacturing licences of Jackson Laboratories’ facilities in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh following joint inspections by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and respective state drug regulators, who identified significant Good Manufacturing Practice violations at the Amritsar-based company’s units.
The crackdown follows the deaths of at least seven women in Kota and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan after caesarean deliveries. Investigators suspect adulterated oxytocin injections — used to manage postpartum bleeding — played a role. A sample of the company’s TOCIN brand failed quality testing, prompting Rajasthan authorities to ban the product and seize approximately 3,500 vials from government hospitals.
Probe findings also revealed a distributor had sold 750 more doses than it officially procured from Jackson Laboratories, raising serious questions about counterfeit stock infiltrating the supply chain.
The World Health Organization has formally requested information from India as part of its standard pharmacovigilance protocol. Authorities clarified this is a routine global surveillance procedure, not an indictment of the manufacturer.
Further regulatory action is anticipated as investigations continue.
Written By: Sayan Das
Graphics by: Pramit Hazra
