At least 20 young children, all below the age of five, have sadly passed away in central India after ingesting a harmful cough syrup, as per local reports.
The children lost their lives in Madhya Pradesh due to a toxic cough medication that contained diethylene glycol in levels almost 500 times beyond the allowable limit, officials reported. Diethylene glycol is a hazardous substance commonly utilized as an industrial solvent and antifreeze that can be deadly even in small doses, particularly for children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Authorities have reportedly detained S. Ranganathan, the proprietor of Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, the company responsible for the fatal Coldrif syrup.
“Twenty children have perished in the regrettable incident across Chhindwara, Betul, and Pandhurna districts,” stated Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla to Asia News International. Ranganathan, based in Tamil Nadu, was apprehended in Chennai on Wednesday.
He is scheduled to face court prior to being moved to Chhindwara, confirmed the city’s superintendent of police Ajay Pandey. Local drug authorities have intensified efforts to withdraw contaminated medicine from circulation by conducting random sample tests and even conducting door-to-door visits to retrieve bottles of Coldrif.
“We have collected 30-40 bottles through this method… we have also retrieved some from retailers and stockists,” mentioned district administrator Harendra Narayan. He disclosed that 594 bottles of the syrup had been vended to pharmaceutical distributors in the region over the last six weeks.
Indian drug manufacturers are mandated by law to test each batch of raw materials and final products. Since 2023, cough syrup exports have also necessitated additional scrutiny at government-endorsed laboratories following the deaths of more than 10 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon linked to Indian syrups.
Indian authorities have cautioned against two other domestically sold syrups – Respifresh and RELIFE – produced by Shape Pharma and Rednex Pharmaceuticals, both based in Gujarat, after analyses uncovered the presence of the same toxic substance.
The WHO conveyed its “deep concern” regarding these incidents in India, flagging various issues such as the potential export of contaminated products to other countries through unregulated channels, the regulatory gaps in DEG/EG screening of domestically marketed medicines in India, and the imperative need to ascertain the origin of contamination and eliminate any tainted pharmaceutical materials in circulation.
India ranks as the third-largest drug manufacturer globally by volume, following the United States and China, delivering 40% of generic medications utilized in the U.S. and more than 90% of medicines used in various African nations.