Uzbekistan deaths: Pharmexcil suspends membership of Marion Biotech — what does it mean?

The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) suspended the membership of Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd with immediate effect on December 30, as per a Moneycontrol report. The move came after the company failed to reply to the council on a report on children's death, allegedly caused by their cough syrups, in Uzbekistan.

With the suspension, the company's exports will become ineligible for incentives under the Market Access Initiative Scheme, the report said.

Under the scheme, "assistance would be provided to Export Promotion Organizations/Trade Promotion Organizations/National Level Institutions/ Research Institutions/Universities/Laboratories, Exporters etc., for enhancement of exports through accessing new markets or through increasing the share in the existing markets", the commerce ministry said.