Indian authorities have issued a public warning against two more brands of cough syrup after 17 children under five died from consuming toxic medicine. The deaths have been linked to India’s cough syrup containing dangerous levels of diethylene glycol, a chemical known to cause kidney failure and death in children.
Officials confirmed that the banned product, Coldrif, contained nearly 500 times the permissible limit of the toxic ingredient. Tests on other brands, including Respifresh and RELIFE, also showed the presence of diethylene glycol. Gujarat and other states have urged citizens to avoid these syrups, calling the chemical a serious health hazard.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that India’s cough syrup samples tested positive for contamination. While WHO said India confirmed no exports of the affected syrups, the agency warned that unofficial shipments might still have occurred. It also highlighted a “regulatory gap” in India’s screening of locally sold medicines.
Authorities have suspended production at several pharmaceutical companies, including Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, Shape Pharma, and Rednex Pharmaceuticals. Factories in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat were sealed after inspectors found serious violations in quality testing and record-keeping. Police are investigating Sresan for possible manslaughter, and its production license may be cancelled.
The central drug regulator said that inspections across 19 facilities in six states revealed major lapses in testing standards. Samples from Shape Pharma and Rednex were declared “not of standard quality,” leading to a halt in their operations.
This is not the first time India’s cough syrup has been linked to fatalities. Since 2022, toxic ingredients in Indian-made syrups have been blamed for the deaths of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon. The latest tragedy again raises questions about India’s pharmaceutical oversight, despite the country being one of the world’s largest drug producers.
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