Contaminated Cough Syrup in India: WHO Raises Serious Concerns Over Child Deaths
- Indian Health Bureau
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised serious concerns over gaps in India’s drug safety system after at least 20 children died from contaminated cough syrups. It warned that such unsafe medicines could spread internationally through unregulated distribution channels.
The deaths, reported from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, have been traced to three products — Coldrif (Sresan Pharmaceuticals), Respifresh (Rednex Pharmaceuticals), and ReLife (Shape Pharma) — all found to contain diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic industrial chemical. Following this, India’s drug regulator ordered an immediate production halt, arrested the pharma company owner, and informed WHO of the contamination.
Several states have since banned these syrups; others have restricted all cough and cold syrups for children under two. Police have detained G Ranganathan, the 73‑year‑old owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, while Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramaniam announced plans to permanently cancel the company’s manufacturing licence. Most victims were under five, with deaths linked to Coldrif syrup causing fever, vomiting, and renal complications. The prescribing doctor, Praveen Soni, has also been arrested for negligence, though medical associations hold regulators accountable for weak testing and enforcement. Contaminated Cough Syrup in India: WHO Raises Serious Concerns Over Child Deaths
A Tamil Nadu Drug Control inspection uncovered 364 violations at Sresan’s facility — including 39 classified as “very serious.” The report cited unqualified staff, absence of quality checks, unhygienic drug storage, poor water standards, and untreated sewage disposal.
This tragedy adds to past global alarms over Indian cough syrups. In 2023, DEG-contaminated syrups from India were tied to 70 child deaths in The Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan, following a similar 2019–2020 incident in Jammu where at least 12 children died after consuming tainted medicines.
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