Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of ‘Coldrif’ cough syrup following its suspected links to the death of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The move follows the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department’s inspections at the pharmaceutical company's manufacturing facility in Kancheepuram over the last two days.
During the inspection and the examination of the samples collected, it was found that a particular batch of ‘Coldrif’ cough syrup contained diethylene glycol, a poisonous substance, reported the New Indian Express.
Of the five batches tested, Coldrif syrup Batch No. SR-13 was declared “not of standard quality” and confirmed to be adulterated with 48 per cent diethylene glycol, the report said.
The Chennai-based company supplies the medicines to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry.
Following the test results, the production unit in Kancheepuram was shut down and a show cause notice was issued to the manufacturer.
Coldrif Syrup is commonly prescribed in children to treat symptoms such as runny nose, cough, sneezing, watery eyes, sore throat, body ache, and fever.
Nine children have died in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district since September 7 allegedly after taking cough syrup. Two children died in Rajasthan in similar circumstances.
The Union Health Ministry on Friday issued an advisory to all states and Union territories, directing that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed to children under the age of 2 years.
The ministry, however, noted that none of the tested syrup samples in Madhya Pradesh contained Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG)—contaminants that are known to cause serious kidney injury.
The advisory noted that cough syrups are generally not recommended for children below five years.
