Cough syrup deaths: Kerala, MP suspend sale of Coldrif syrup, Tamil Nadu imposes ban; CDSCO launches inspection

Cough syrup deaths: After reports of child deaths due to the consumption of contaminated Coldrif cough syrup, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala suspended the sale of the cough syrup, while Tamil Nadu imposed a total ban on it.

Meanwhile, the health ministry said that the central drug regulator, CDSCO, has initiated risk-based inspection at the manufacturing units across six states.

11 children in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh reportedly died due to consuming Coldrif Cough syrup. A campaign has since been underway to seize Coldrif syrup across the state.

“The families of the 11 children who died in Chhindwara will receive financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each. The state government will also bear the entire cost of treatment for the children,” said Madhya Pradesh CMO.

CDSCO launches inspection

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) began risk-based inspection at the manufacturing units of 19 drugs, including cough syrups and antibiotics, across six states on Friday, October 3

The aim of these inspections is to identify gaps that may have led to drug quality failures and suggest process improvements to avoid such incidents in the future.

Additionally, the health ministry said that a multidisciplinary team comprising experts from the National Institute of Virology, the Indian Council of Medical Research, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, CDSCO and AIIMS-Nagpur, among others, are still analysing the various samples and factors to assess the cause of deaths in and around Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh.

Six drug samples tested by CDSCO and three by the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drugs Administration (MPFDA) were found to be free of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) contaminants that are known to cause serious kidney injury.

Tamil Nadu imposes ban

At the request of the Madhya Pradesh government, the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department tested samples of Coldrif Cough Syrup collected from the Sresan Pharma manufacturing unit in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.

“The results were shared with us late Friday evening... The samples had DEG beyond the permissible limit,” the ministry said.

Following this, the Tamil Nadu government banned the sale of the cough syrup and ordered its removal from the market.

"With effect from October 1, the sale of the cough syrup manufactured by the city-based firm has been prohibited across Tamil Nadu," an official said on Friday.

Kerala, Madhya Pradesh suspend sales

Madhya Pradesh announced a complete ban on the sale of Coldrif cough syrup.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George stated that the state's Drugs Control department has suspended the sale of Coldrif cough syrup in the state. The decision follows reports from other states that flagged issues with one of the batches of the Coldrif syrup, she said.

A preliminary inquiry by the State Drugs Control Department revealed that the flagged batch of the drug was not sold in Kerala, the minister clarified in a statement.

“However, the Drugs Controller, out of concern for safety, has instructed drug inspectors to completely stop the distribution and sale of Coldrif,” she said.

(With agency inputs)