Manipur bans two cough syrup brands containing ‘highly toxic’ chemical

The Manipur government on Friday, October 10, 2025, banned two brands of cough syrup that were found to contain a “highly toxic chemical”.

The Drug Control Department has banned the sale and consumption of these two products in Manipur and directed all retailers, distributors and pharmacies to immediately withdraw the affected batches from shelves and report compliance.

In a statement, the Department of Health Services’ Drug Control Administration issued “a public alert warning consumers, retailers, and health care providers against the purchase and use of two brands of cough syrup that have been found to be adulterated with diethylene glycol, a highly toxic chemical.”

He said reports from the Drug Testing Laboratory, Government of Madhya Pradesh, confirmed that ‘Relife’ and ‘Resipfresh TR’ syrups produced in Gujarat were contaminated with diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent known to cause acute poisoning, kidney failure and even death.

Surveillance has been intensified at medical stores and hospitals in the state to prevent further distribution of the two cough syrups.

The statement said healthcare providers are advised to be alert for symptoms of diethylene glycol poisoning in patients who may have consumed the syrup.