Kochi: Kerala has become the third state to ban Coldrif cough syrup after reports from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra linked the medicine to the deaths of at least 12 children over the past month.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Saturday that the state has suspended sale and distribution of the cough syrup following safety issues being flagged in one batch of the medicine.
Earlier in the day, the Madhya Pradesh government banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of highly-toxic chemical Diethylene Glycol (DEG) in samples collected from the same batch linked to the deaths of 9 children in Chhindwara district.
As per a copy of the directive, accessed by Aaj Tak, MP’s drug controller said the syrup, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical in Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram district, was found “non-standard and defective (NSQ)” based on an October 2 test report from Tamil Nadu Drug Control Directorate.
The MP government asked Tamil Nadu authorities to investigate the pharma company which makes the drug. Soon after receiving the report, the ban was put in place immediately. Not just Coldrif, the ban is also on other products manufactured by the company.
As per findings of the report, Coldrif syrup sample contained 48.6% DEG, which can cause acute kidney and liver failure. The medicine was gthus “unsafe for human consumption”.
The Tamil Nadu government took similar action, prohibiting sale of Coldrif syrup from October 1.
The affected children fell ill after consuming Coldrif, raising concerns among health authorities who had to send samples for testing.
