At least 14 children died in due to cough syrup in the neighbouring states recently. Following this incident, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned this cough syrup.
It is pertinent to note that a directive, signed by drug controller Dr Gahane on October 5, cites contamination with diethylene glycol (DEG), which is a toxic industrial solvent, as the cause of the reported deaths.
In view of this, all licensed drug dealers and the general public are instructed to immediately stop the sale, distribution, or use of Coldrif Syrup (Batch No. SR-13).
When the Nagpur FDA inspected government hospitals, it was found that this syrup had not been supplied. However, a private drug dealer was found to have a stock of this company's syrup. Samples of this syrup have now been sent for testing. Instructions have been given to stop selling this syrup until the test results are available.
In this regard, the FDA issued a statement, saying, "The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has received information about the unfortunate deaths of some children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. These incidents are related to Coldrif Syrup (Phenylephrine Hydrochloride, Chlorpheniramine Maleate Syrup).
Batch No. SR-13, Manufacture Date: May 2025, Expiry Date: April 2027. This medicine is manufactured by Sresan Pharma, Sunguvarchathiram, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu."
If anyone has this medicine in stock, please inform the local drug control authority immediately. The general public should also inform the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration if they have this medicine in stock. Do it.
The Ministry has clarified that no cough and cold medicine should be given to children under the age of 2. Furthermore, these medicines are generally not recommended for children under the age of 5. This is because most serious cough and cold illnesses in children resolve on their own and do not require medication.
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