At least 20 children under five die after taking toxic cough syrup | World | News
In a tragic incident, at least 20 children under the age of five in central India died after drinking poisonous cough syrup, according to local reports.
The young victims, all from the state of Madhya Pradesh, died last month after drinking cough medicine containing diethylene glycol (DEG) in amounts almost 500 times the permitted limit, authorities said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), DEG is a “toxic” substance that is “used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents and can be fatal even in small amounts, especially for children.” The news came as the female contract killer tested the poisoned bean stew on 10 dogs before poisoning the old man.
S. Ranganathan, owner of Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, the company responsible for the deadly Coldrif syrup, has reportedly been arrested by the police.
“20 children lost their lives in the unfortunate incident in Chindwara, Betul and Pandhurna districts,” Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla told Asia News International. Mirror.
Ranganathan, who is based in the state of Tamil Nadu, was arrested in Chennai on Wednesday. According to the city’s police chief Ajay Pandey, he is expected to appear in court before being transferred to Chhindwara.
Local drug authorities have intensified efforts to remove the contaminated drug from circulation by testing random samples and even conducting door-to-door searches to retrieve Coldrif vials.
“(Through this) we got 30-40 bottles…we also recalled some from retailers and stockists,” said district manager Harendra Narayan, adding that 594 bottles of the syrup were sold to pharmaceutical distributors in the district in the last six weeks.
Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers are legally obliged to test each batch of raw materials and finished products. Following the deaths of more than 10 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon due to Indian syrups, exports of cough syrups have required additional testing in government-approved laboratories since 2023.
Indian authorities have also urged Indian officials to avoid two locally sold syrups – Respifresh and RELIFE – manufactured by Gujarat-based Shape Pharma and Rednex Pharmaceuticals, after tests revealed that they also contained the same toxic chemical.
In a statement, WHO expressed “deep concern about these developments” in India and highlighted several issues: “The potential risk of contaminated products being exported to other countries, particularly through unregulated channels.
“Regulatory gap in DEG/EG screening for domestically marketed drugs in India. Identifying the source of contamination and identifying and eliminating contaminated pharmaceutical material that may be in circulation.”
India, the third largest drug manufacturer by volume after the United States and China, supplies 40 percent of generic drugs used in the United States and more than 90 percent of all drugs consumed in numerous African countries.
