The Punjab government has banned the sale, distribution and use of Coldrif cough syrup in the wake of the death of 14 children in Madhya Pradesh after they reportedly consumed the spurious medicine. The drug (batch number SR-13) is manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical, Tamil Nadu.
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) wing of the Punjab government issued an order on Monday, stating that “it has come to the notice of this office that Coldrif syrup has been declared as “not of standard quality” by the government analyst, drugs testing laboratory and FDA, Madhya Pradesh.
“The drug formulation is reported to be adulterated, as it contains diethylene glycol (46.28 per cent w/v), which makes it injurious to health. Since the product has been observed to be linked to the recent deaths of children in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, it is hereby completely prohibited for sale, distribution and utilisation in the state of Punjab with immediate effect in public interest," the Punjab FDA order said.
The order said all retailers, distributors, registered medical practitioners and hospitals and healthcare institutions in Punjab shall not purchase, sell or utilise the product. If any stock of the drug is available in the state, the information may be provided to the FDA (drugs wing), it said.
The deaths of children due to suspected renal failure after consuming the cough syrup were reported from Chhindwara over a period of one month. The deaths triggered a national health alert, leading to suspensions of officials in Madhya Pradesh, arrests, nationwide stock confiscations and immediate stringent changes to drug prescription guidelines in states like Kerala and Karnataka.
Also read: MP forms SIT after 14 children die of Coldrif cough syrup
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