Tamil Nadu’s Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the now-banned cough syrup Coldrif linked to the deaths of over twenty children in Madhya Pradesh, has been ordered to shut down after the state government permanently revoked its manufacturing license.
The decision followed a damning inspection by the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department, which revealed that the syrup contained 48.6 per cent of Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a highly toxic compound known to cause kidney failure and death. Officials also flagged gross violations of safety and hygiene protocols.
According to officials, over 300 critical and major lapses were recorded, including non-compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). The state’s Health Department termed the violations “shocking and inexcusable,” adding that such negligence had “cost young lives.”
The owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, G Ranganathan, was recently arrested by a special investigation team from Madhya Pradesh probing the deaths of children in Chhindwara district.
Also read: ED raids 7 Chennai sites linked to Coldrif maker, drug control officials
Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the premises of Sresan Pharmaceuticals and several associated officials under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), expanding the probe into possible financial irregularities connected to the production and sale of the adulterated syrup.
“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,” the state government said in a release.
The Coldrif syrup, which contained the lethal DEG compound, has been directly linked to the deaths of at least 22 children, mostly from Parasia in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. Several others remain hospitalised in Nagpur, Maharashtra, where many of the victims were taken for advanced treatment but later succumbed to renal failure.
The state government has ordered a comprehensive review of all licensed pharmaceutical units in Tamil Nadu to ensure compliance with manufacturing standards, as outrage mounts over the tragedy that could have been prevented.
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