New Delhi: Indian authorities are investigating whether contaminated cough syrup caused the deaths of nine children under five years old in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan since late August.
The federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ordered the probe on October 4, after a batch of the medication was found to contain dangerous levels of a toxic chemical.
The ministry stated that samples of Coldrif cough syrup, manufactured by Sresan Pharma in Tamil Nadu, were tested by state authorities and found to contain diethylene glycol (DEG) exceeding permissible limits.
DEG is a toxic substance used in industrial solvents and can be fatal even in small amounts. “The samples are found to contain DEG beyond the permissible limit,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Mohan Yadav, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, where most deaths occurred, announced that the sale of the syrup has been banned across the central state. Yadav added that other products from the same manufacturer are also being prohibited.
Authorities in Tamil Nadu and Kerala similarly banned the product after Tamil Nadu’s drug regulator confirmed DEG contamination in samples collected directly from Sresan Pharma’s manufacturing site in Kanchipuram.
However, the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration (MPFDA) reported that three of the 13 samples it analysed were free from contamination, according to the Health Ministry statement.
The ministry also stated that inspections have been launched at 19 drug manufacturers across six states to identify lapses in quality control and recommend improvements to prevent future incidents.
Cough syrups manufactured in India have faced global scrutiny in recent years. Previous incidents have led to child deaths worldwide, including more than 70 deaths in The Gambia in 2022.
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