Contaminated cough syrup has claimed the lives of around 20 children in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday said that 20 children have died after consuming a contaminated cough syrup, while five others are currently undergoing treatment for kidney failure. Among the victims, 17 were from Chhindwara district, two from Betul, and one from Pandhurna.
The children had reportedly been suffering from fever and cold before taking the syrup, branded ‘Coldrif’, which led to symptoms such as vomiting and difficulty in urination. The first death was recorded on September 2. The syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, located in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu.
Investigations by drug control authorities in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh earlier this month revealed that the syrup contained over 45% diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical known to cause severe kidney damage and even death. As a result, both states have banned the sale of the product.
In connection with the case, Madhya Pradesh Police arrested Dr Praveen Soni, a government pediatrician from Parasia in Chhindwara, for prescribing the syrup. Authorities have also filed charges against the manufacturer and established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further probe the incident.
But this tragedy is not an isolated case. Over the years, diethylene glycol contamination in Indian-made cough syrups has been linked to multiple child deaths. In 2023, DEG-tainted syrups from India were associated with the deaths of 70 children in The Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan. Similarly, between December 2019 and January 2020, at least 12 children under the age of five died in Jammu after consuming a contaminated cough syrup. Activists claimed that the actual death toll might have been higher.
Beyond contamination, misuse of cough syrups containing codeine—a mild opioid—has also raised alarm. Such syrups can induce euphoria in high doses and lead to dependency, and are not recommended for young children.
In 2023, India’s drug regulator—the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)—found two syrups manufactured by Norris Medicines Ltd to be toxic. These included a cough syrup and an anti-allergy formulation. Lab tests confirmed contamination with both DEG and ethylene glycol (EG)—the chemicals involved in fatal incidents in The Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon in 2022.
According to CDSCO’s laboratory testing, Trimax Expectorant contained 0.118% EG, while the allergy medication Sylpro Plus Syrup had 0.171% EG and 0.243% DEG. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the safe limit for these substances, based on international standards, is no more than 0.10%.
Despite repeated promises of reform from regulators, contaminated syrups continue to surface. This recurring issue highlights the challenges of a fragmented pharmaceutical market and an overstretched regulatory system, which struggles to monitor the widespread production and over-the-counter sale of low-cost, often unapproved, medications by smaller manufacturers, say activists
