Toxic cough syrup kills another 14 children in India’s Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi: At least fourteen children have died in India’s Madhya Pradesh state after consuming a contaminated cough syrup, exposing once again the alarming negligence in India’s pharmaceutical monitoring system.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the deaths were reported from Chhindwara district, where several children suffering from fever and cough allegedly developed renal failure after taking the syrup Coldrif, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, Indian media reported.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the syrup contained 48.6 percent diethylene glycol, a highly toxic industrial chemical known to cause kidney failure and death. The permissible limit for the substance is only 0.10 percent, meaning the contamination was nearly 480 times above safe levels.
Following the revelation, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) ordered risk-based inspections of 19 pharmaceutical units across six Indian states. The Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration has also banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif and directed immediate seizure of all stocks.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav termed the incident “extremely tragic” and announced monetary relief for the victims’ families, but public outrage continues to grow over recurring deaths caused by unsafe Indian-manufactured drugs.
Notably, India has faced several similar scandals in the recent past where tainted Indian cough syrups caused deaths of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon, raising global concerns over the safety standards of Indian pharmaceuticals.
