Indian states ban cough syrup linked to child deaths

NEW DELHI: At least three Indian states have banned a cough syrup after several children died allegedly after consuming the product, said local authorities and reports.

The death of at least nine children, all aged under five, since late August, in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been linked to a cough medicine they were prescribed.

India’s health ministry Saturday said laboratory tests on samples of the syrup the children had consumed revealed it was contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic substance used in industrial solvents that can be fatal if ingested even in small amounts.

“The samples are found to contain DEG beyond the permissible limit,” the ministry said in a statement.

The product sold under the brand name Coldrif Cough Syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharma at a unit in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

“The sale of this syrup has been banned throughout Madhya Pradesh,” said Mohan Yadav, chief minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, where most of the deaths have been reported.

“The sale of other products from the company that manufactures the syrup is also being banned.”

Authorities in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also banned the product, local media reports said.

Cough syrups manufactured in India have come under global scrutiny in recent years with deaths linked to their consumption reported from around the world, including the death of more than 70 children in The Gambia in 2022.