Chennai: In a significant move following a national outcry over the deaths of children linked to contaminated cough syrup, the Tamil Nadu government has suspended the manufacturing license of Sresan Pharmaceuticals. The company is known for producing ‘Coldrif,’ a cough syrup that has been banned due to its alleged connection to several child fatalities in Madhya Pradesh.
The state’s health department has also mandated comprehensive inspections of all pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities within Tamil Nadu, with officials confirming that these statewide checks are currently in progress.
These decisive actions come in the wake of widespread public anger stemming from the deaths of at least 22 children in Madhya Pradesh, primarily in the Chhindwara district, who are suspected to have suffered renal failure after consuming the tainted cough syrup. Several other children are reportedly receiving medical treatment in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Investigations revealed that Coldrif, manufactured in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, was dangerously adulterated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic substance. The DEG content found in Coldrif was alarmingly high at over 48%, far exceeding the permissible limit of a mere 0.1%.
A statement from the state health department confirmed, “The drug manufacturing license of Sresan Pharmaceuticals has been completely cancelled, and the company has been closed. Orders have been given to conduct a detailed inspection of other drug manufacturing companies located in Tamil Nadu.”
In connection with the case, G Ranganathan, the owner of the pharmaceutical company, was apprehended at his Chennai residence by a special investigation team from Madhya Pradesh police on October 9. He has since been remanded to a 10-day police custody by a court in Parasia.
Furthermore, the Tamil Nadu government has taken action against two state drug inspectors in Kancheepuram for negligence, citing their failure to inspect the pharmaceutical unit since 2022.
The crackdown followed a formal notification from Madhya Pradesh’s drug authority to its Tamil Nadu counterpart on October 1. An ensuing investigation in Tamil Nadu confirmed the contamination after testing samples from the same batch of the cough syrup. The findings were subsequently shared with the central government, Madhya Pradesh authorities, and other affected states and union territories, including Odisha and Puducherry, where the product had been distributed.
Earlier, on October 3, the Tamil Nadu government had issued a ‘stop production’ order to Sresan Pharmaceuticals. A show cause notice was also served to Ranganathan and the company’s analytical chemist, K Maheswari, on October 7.
In parallel, the Madhya Pradesh government has suspended drug inspectors Gaurav Sharma and Sharad Kumar Jain, along with deputy director of food and drug administration Shobhit Costa, and transferred the state’s drug controller, Dinesh Maurya.
In light of these tragic events, the Union government issued an advisory on October 3, urging all states and union territories to promote the responsible prescription and dispensing of cough syrups for children. The advisory highlighted that most childhood illnesses are self-limiting and often do not require medication. It further recommended against prescribing or dispensing cough and cold medications to children under two years of age, and generally advised caution for those under five.