Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has launched an inquiry into Kayson Pharma, following reports that a cough syrup manufactured by the company may have contributed to multiple child deaths in the state. Officials say that three children – two from Bharatpur and one from Sikar – have died after consuming a cough syrup containing dextromethorphan hydrobromide, which was being supplied under the state’s free medicine scheme. In one case, a 5-year-old from Sikar reportedly took the syrup before going to sleep and never woke up.
In Bharatpur, two toddlers, Teerthraj and Samrat Jatav, allegedly died following the administration of that syrup from a government health centre. In the Bharatpur cases, other children who had consumed the syrup reportedly vomited but survived; only Samrat lost consciousness and later died. The mother of one deceased child contends that the syrup was prescribed by the local Chief Health Officer. As a precautionary measure, Rajasthan has suspended the distribution of all medicines from Kayson Pharma under the free medicines scheme and ordered a detailed investigation into all its products. The state medical department has also announced that the health officer involved in the Sikar case will be suspended. However, officials have not publicly confirmed that the cough syrup was the definitive cause of the Bharatpur deaths, citing that the medicine was not explicitly mentioned on the children’s prescriptions.
The Director of Public Health, Ravi Prakash Sharma, emphasized that dextromethorphan syrups are typically not recommended for children and asserted that prescribing protocols must be strictly followed. The firm’s name has been blacklisted previously; in 2023, one of its medicines was rejected for failing to meet quality standards. This raises questions about how it secured government tenders again. Opposition leaders in Rajasthan have demanded stringent action against the company, accusing it of risking public health under existing regulatory lapses.
The state government has issued an advisory to doctors to strictly adhere to prescription guidelines and avoid dispensing medicines to patients without proper medical consultation. Meanwhile, the on-going probe aims to determine whether the syrup was directly responsible for the deaths, whether negligence or regulatory failure was involved, and what punitive steps should follow.
