In a troubling development concerning the cough syrup-related deaths in Madhya Pradesh, the arrested doctor, Praveen Soni, has reportedly admitted to accepting commissions from the manufacturer for prescribing their product. Police revealed this information during a court proceeding, stating that Dr. Soni prescribed the contaminated ‘Coldrif’ cough syrup to a majority of the 23 children who tragically lost their lives.
According to police reports, Dr. Soni allegedly received a 10% commission, amounting to approximately ₹2.54, for each bottle of Coldrif syrup he prescribed. This syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, a company based in Tamil Nadu.
However, Dr. Soni’s lawyer, Pawan Shukla, has vehemently denied these allegations, characterizing the confession as ‘fabricated and legally worthless’. Shukla maintains that the police are attempting to construct a narrative without concrete evidence and that the commission claim is false.
Dr. Soni, a pediatrician at a government health center in Parasia, is accused of continuing to prescribe the Coldrif syrup even after central guidelines advised against the use of fixed-dose combination (FDC) medicines for children under four years old. Investigations revealed that the syrup allegedly contained diethylene glycol at levels far exceeding permissible limits.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Tamil Nadu government has revoked the manufacturing license of Sresan Pharmaceuticals and ordered the company’s shutdown. This action followed an inspection by the state’s Drug Control Department, which found the syrup to contain 48.6% diethylene glycol and noted over 300 critical violations, including a lack of proper Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).
Further investigations are underway, with the Enforcement Directorate also reportedly raiding Sresan Pharmaceuticals’ premises in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case.