- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Sun, 05 Oct 2025 11:36 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Ministry of Health has convened an urgent meeting at 4 PM on Sunday, October 5, to address the issue of contaminated cough syrups, which led to the deaths of 14 children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara. The 14 children died of renal failure caused by a highly toxic substance, diethylene glycol (DEG), found in large quantities in Coldrif cough syrup. 10 of the 14 deaths were reported in Parasia subdivision since September 7.
Madhya Pradesh Police arrested the doctor who was responsible for administering the adulterated cough syrup. The majority of the children who died had received treatment at the private clinic of pediatrician Dr Praveen Soni in Parasia.
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Health Ministry Meet Today
The meeting will be chaired by Punya Salila Srivastava, the Central Health Secretary. It will include Principal Secretaries, Health Secretaries, and Drug Controllers from all States and Union Territories (UTs), as reported by News18.
The meeting will reportedly focus on reinforcing control measures and ensuring the safety and quality of pharmaceutical products. The meeting is also expected to focus on over-the-counter medications such as cough syrups, which are typically not advised for children under the age of five.
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Adulterated Cough Syrup Tested In Tamil Nadu
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”.
Following the report, the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration issued instructions to stop further sale and distribution of Coldrif statewide and immediately seize any available stock for investigation under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. It also ordered that other products manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals be removed from sale pending testing.
Kerala Bans Coldrif
The Kerala Health Minister on Saturday announced that the sale of Coldrif will be halted in the state. “The Drugs Controller, out of concern for safety, has instructed drug inspectors to completely stop the distribution and sale of Coldrif," Health Minister Veena George was quoted by news agency PTI.
Similar actions were taken in Rajasthan, where 19 medicines manufactured by Kaysan Pharma were suspended after adverse effects from Dextromethorphan Syrup in Bharatpur and Sikar.
Raids were also conducted across medical stores and wholesale dealers in Uttarakhand. The state health minister said, “Drug inspectors in all districts have been ordered to collect samples of cough syrups from hospitals and shops in a phased manner within the month and have their quality laboratory tested so that any defective or harmful drugs can be immediately removed from the market.”