**Madhya Pradesh Government Bans Sale of Coldrif Cough Syrup Following Deaths of 14 Children**
The Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government on Saturday announced a ban on the sale of Coldrif cough syrup after the tragic deaths of 14 children in Chhindwara district, suspected to be caused by kidney failure. According to reports from news agency PTI, laboratory tests revealed that the syrup contained 48.6 percent diethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance.
The sample of Coldrif syrup was tested by the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai and was declared Not of Standard Quality by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control. The fatalities, which began in the Parasia subdivision on September 7, included 11 children from Parasia, two from Chhindwara city, and one from Chaurai tehsil.
Among the young victims were Shivam (9), Vidhi (6), Adnan (6), Usaid (9), Rishika (10), Hetansh (11), Vikas (9), Chanchlesh (8), and Sandhya Bhosom (7). Currently, two children remain in critical condition at hospitals in Nagpur, while four others are undergoing treatment in Nagpur and Chhindwara.
In response to the tragedy, the government has sanctioned Rs 4 lakh for the families of each affected child. Acting on the test results, the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration has imposed a statewide ban on Coldrif and ordered the immediate seizure of all available stock for investigation under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Additionally, other products manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram—the maker of Coldrif—have been pulled from sale pending further testing.
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had also banned Coldrif following reports of similar deaths in Rajasthan. The batch under scrutiny (Batch No SR-13; Mfg: May 2025; Exp: April 2027) was found to contain the adulterated syrup with diethylene glycol, a poisonous compound dangerous to human health.
At the national level, the Union health ministry’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated risk-based inspections of manufacturing units producing 19 drugs—including cough syrups and antibiotics—across six states.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav described the deaths as “extremely tragic” and assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible. He confirmed the ban on Coldrif and all other products from the company across Madhya Pradesh.
Samples from the affected children have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for further analysis, while comprehensive tests on the syrup’s adulteration and contamination are ongoing.
A multi-agency investigative team—including experts from the National Institute of Virology, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, CDSCO, and AIIMS-Nagpur—is probing the cause of deaths in and around Chhindwara.
This incident has raised serious alarm over the safety of pharmaceutical products in the country, prompting authorities to reinforce stricter quality control measures to prevent further tragedies.
