Coin explanator | Does India have a problem with cough syrup?

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Jessica Jani 3 min Read 05 Oct 2025, 06:27 PM IST India-made cough syrup also has global investigation into child deaths, which revealed the regulatory gaps in the Pharmaceutical Industry of India. (Unplaste) Summary polluted cough syrup linked to child deaths in Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan raised new concerns about India’s drug safety. Toxic chemicals in popular brands and repetitive regulatory gaps emphasize the risks of producing and prescribing medicines for children. Two Indian drugs came under regulatory investigations after cough syrup made by them was linked to a number of deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The central medicine regulator swung in action after finding a toxic contaminant in one of the cough syrup. Some states have banned the sale of this medicine. This is not the first time that cough syrup in India has been linked to deaths in children. In recent years, India-made cough syrup has been investigated worldwide-they have been linked to child deaths in Uzbekistan, Iraq and the Gambia, which reveal the regulatory gaps in the Pharmaceutical Industry of India. Mint tackles the reason why Indian cough syrup is linked to deaths in children again and again. What caused the deaths? It is thought that the recent deaths of 11 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, under the age of five, were caused by infected cough syrup, causing the states to swing to action and a central sin. India’s Health Ministry said in a statement that Test samples from Coldrif COOK syrup, made by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, contain high levels of diethyle blendlikol. Deg is an industrial chemical used in antivries and brake fluids and can cause kidney failure and death if even consumed in small quantities. The Union Government is investigating the manufacturing locations of all the sampled cough syrup spread over six states. Who is behind this cough syrup? Sresan Pharma’s Coldrif is the center of the controversy. Samples of the syrup tested by the authorities of Tamil Nadu revealed that it contained 48.6% dietyliklikol. Kaysons Pharma, based on Jaipur, also examined his cough syrup that may have led to child deaths in Rajasthan, although the state government has not yet confirmed the link. What happened after death? The sales of Coldrif were immediately banned with Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Madhya Pradesh also banned all other products manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals and registered a case against the drug manufacturer. A doctor who prescribed the cough syrup to children was arrested. Rajasthan suspended the sales of 19 medicine of Kaysons Pharma after reports on adverse effects related to his cough syrup. Two health officials and state control of the state have been suspended for negligence. The Director General of Health Services in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a nationwide advice on the judicious use of cough syrup in children, and he advised that this medicine should not be prescribed to children under the age of two. Is cough syrup unsafe for children? The US Food and Drug Administration does not recommend medicine without medicine for cold and coughing symptoms for children under the age of two because it can cause serious and potentially life-threatening side effects, the regulator’s website states. Medicine without a counter can be purchased from a doctor without a prescription. “Numerous OTC and cold products contain many ingredients that can lead to accidental overdose,” says the US FDA. According to medical experts, strict dosing is needed for OTC medicine. Dextromethorphan -hydrobromide, a common ingredient in cough syrup, can cause side effects, such as drowsiness, rapid heartbeat, attacks and liver damage in children, although it is generally considered safe for adults. The Director General of Health Services in a recent advice said that most acute cough diseases in children are ‘self-limiting’ and often solve without pharmacological intervention. Where else was cough syrup -related deaths reported? In recent years, India-made cough syrup has been linked to child deaths in Jammu as well as in the Gambia and Uzbekistan. Earlier, Chennai, Mumbai, Bihar and Gurugram saw deaths for mass children’s children due to polluted sales of cough syrup. Failure to regulate manufacturers who do not test raw materials or final formulations is the reason behind this repetition, experts say. India’s fragmented public health regulatory system is a key issue. While drug regulation in the country is mainly controlled by the 1940 Medicines and Cosmetics Act, public health is a state subject. Therefore, health regulations are divided between the central regulatory government and state-level regulatory authorities at the state level, making it difficult to enforce laws against poor manufacturing processes. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Mint-Explainer #Primer #Healthcare Read Next Story