'Toxic' cough syrup kills at least 20 children under five, say medics

Pouring medication or antipyretic syrup into spoon (Image: Getty Images)

In a tragic incident, at least 20 children under the age of five have lost their lives in central India after consuming a toxic cough syrup, as per local reports.

The young victims, all from the state of Madhya Pradesh, died over the past month after ingesting cough medicine that contained diethylene glycol (DEG) in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, officials revealed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), DEG is a "toxic" substance "used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even taken in small amounts, especially for children". The news comes as female contract killer tested toxic bean stew on 10 dogs before poisoning elderly man.

S. Ranganathan, the owner of Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, the company responsible for the lethal Coldrif syrup, has reportedly been arrested by police.

"20 children have lost their lives in the unfortunate incident from Chhindwara, Betul and Pandhurna districts," Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla informed Asia News International, reports the Mirror.

At least 20 children younger than five die after taking contaminated cough syrup (Image: -)

Ranganathan, who is based in the Tamil Nadu state, was apprehended on Wednesday in Chennai. He is expected to appear in court before being transferred to Chhindwara, according to the city's superintendent of police Ajay Pandey.

Local drug authorities have intensified efforts to remove the contaminated medicine from circulation - testing random samples and even making door-to-door calls to retrieve bottles of Coldrif.

District administrator Harendra Narayan revealed: "We (have) got 30-40 bottles (through this means)... we (also) recalled some from retailers and stockists," adding that 594 bottles of the syrup had been sold to pharmaceutical distributors in the region over the last six weeks.

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Indian drug manufacturers are legally obliged to test each batch of raw materials and final products. Since 2023, exports of cough syrups have also required additional testing at government-approved laboratories, following the deaths of over 10 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon linked to Indian syrups.

Indian authorities have also urged people to avoid two other locally sold syrups - Respifresh and RELIFE - made by Shape Pharma and Rednex Pharmaceuticals, both based in Gujarat, after tests revealed they too contained the same toxic chemical.

In a statement, the WHO expressed its "deep concern over these developments" in India and highlighted several issues: "The potential risk of contaminated products being exported to other countries, particularly via unregulated channels.

"The regulatory gap in DEG/EG screening for domestically marketed medicines in India. Identifying the source of the contamination and identifying and removing any contaminated pharmaceutical material which may be in circulation."

India, the third-largest drug producer by volume following the United States and China, provides 40 per cent of generic medicines utilised in the U.S. and over 90 per cent of all medicines consumed in numerous African nations.