Madhya Pradesh cough syrup deaths: Doctor arrested as death toll rises to 11; SIT to probe pharma company
A Madhya Pradesh doctor has been arrested after 11 children died from allegedly contaminated Coldrif syrup. Kerala bans the medicine as investigations continue.
A paediatrician in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district has been arrested following the deaths of 11 children allegedly linked to contaminated Coldrif cough syrup, officials confirmed early Sunday. The tragedy has prompted precautionary bans in multiple states, including Kerala, as authorities investigate the highly toxic contamination.
Further, an SIT has been set up to probe the Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceutical company.
Cough Syrup Deaths: What happened in Chhindwara?
Most of the affected children had been treated at the private clinic of Dr Praveen Soni, a government-appointed doctor practising in Parasia, according to media reports.
Soni is accused of prescribing Coldrif syrup to children who presented with routine cold and fever symptoms in early September.
Following initial recovery, the children’s conditions worsened, with reduced urine output and kidney infections, ultimately leading to fatalities. Kidney biopsies later revealed diethylene glycol contamination in the syrups.
The fatalities included 11 children from Parasia, two from Chhindwara city, and one from Chaurai.
Cough Syrup Deaths: Who manufactured the syrup?
The Madhya Pradesh government filed a case against Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, which produced Coldrif.
Government testing indicated the syrup contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance. The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control declared the sample “Not of Standard Quality”, according to official reports.
As a precaution, authorities have also banned another cough syrup, Nextro-DS, while laboratory results for this product are pending.
Cough Syrup Deaths: What are the official responses?
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav described the deaths as: “extremely tragic”
He assured strict action against those responsible, writing on X:
“The deaths of children in Chhindwara due to Coldrif syrup are extremely tragic. The sale of this syrup has been banned across Madhya Pradesh. A ban is also being imposed on the sale of other products from the company that manufactures the syrup.”
Yadav added that the Tamil Nadu government had been asked to test Coldrif due to its Kanchipuram manufacturing location:
“The investigation report was received this morning. Strict action has been taken based on the report. Following the tragic deaths of the children, action was underway at the local level. A team has also been formed at the state level to investigate this matter. The guilty will not be spared at any cost.”
Cough Syrup deaths: How is Kerala responding?
Kerala has become the latest state to suspend the sale and distribution of Coldrif, despite authorities confirming that the contaminated batch had not reached the state.
Health Minister Veena George stated:
“The Drugs Controller has instructed inspectors to completely stop the distribution and sale of Coldrif syrup in the state.”
She added that all eight distributors currently selling the product in Kerala were ordered to halt operations immediately, while medical stores were directed to remove existing stocks.
Samples of Coldrif and other cough syrups have been collected for laboratory testing, and intensive inspections are ongoing to track any shipments that may have entered the market through private channels.
“Though the flagged batch was not found to have been distributed in Kerala, the government decided to act ‘out of an abundance of caution,’” Minister George said.
Cough Syrup deaths: What caused the contamination?
Authorities confirmed that testing by the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai revealed diethylene glycol contamination, a substance known to be highly toxic and potentially fatal if ingested. The contamination has triggered nationwide concern over cough syrup safety standards.