Hyderabad: The Telangana Drugs Control Administration on Saturday issued a ‘public alert – stop use notice’ for Coldrif cough syrup, following the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly linked to its consumption.
The Drugs Control Administration has been “alerted” to reports of the tragic deaths of children in MP and Rajasthan, it said in a release.
“Stop Use Notice Regarding Coldrif Syrup (Batch No. SR-13)”, it said.
The release added that the product batch has been allegedly adulterated with Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a toxic substance, and accordingly, a ‘Public Alert and Stop Use Notice’ is issued.
The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday banned the sale of Coldrif syrup following the death of nine children due to suspected kidney infection in Chhindwara district since September 7.
The Tamil Nadu drug control authorities, in their report dated October 2, declared the Coldrif syrup sample (Batch No SR-13; Mfg: May 2025; Exp: April 2027) manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram, as adulterated because it contained diethylene glycol (48.6% w/v), a poisonous substance “which may render the contents injurious to health.”
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated risk-based inspection at the manufacturing units of 19 drugs, including cough syrups and antibiotics, across six states, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.
A team comprising experts from the National Institute of Virology, the Indian Council of Medical Research, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, CDSCO and AIIMS-Nagpur, among others, are analysing various samples to assess the cause of deaths in and around Chhindwara, it stated.
