Telangana has issued a public alert urging residents to stop using Coldrif cough syrup, while Kerala has suspended its sale following reports of children’s deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan linked to the medicine.
The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) said it was “alerted” about the fatalities and issued a “Stop Use Notice Regarding Coldrif Syrup (Batch No. SR-13)” after the batch was allegedly found adulterated with Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical.
The notice advised residents to immediately discontinue use of the syrup if they have it and report possession to local drug authorities. Citizens can also inform the DCA through a toll-free number on working days. Officials in Telangana are coordinating with Tamil Nadu authorities to track the distribution of the affected batch.
All drug inspectors and assistant directors have been instructed to alert retailers, wholesalers, and hospitals to freeze or stop the use of any remaining stocks of this batch.
In Kerala, a preliminary investigation revealed that the flagged batch had not reached the state, said Health Minister Veena George. Despite this, authorities halted all sales and distribution of Coldrif syrup as a precaution. Eight distributors in Kerala were instructed to suspend operations, and medical stores were told to stop selling the product. Samples have been sent for testing, while other cough syrups are being checked as well.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan had also suspended Coldrif sales.
The case surfaced after nine children in Chhindwara district, MP, died from suspected kidney infections linked to the syrup. Laboratory tests confirmed extremely high levels of diethylene glycol in the batch.
“The concentration of diethylene glycol was over 48%, far above the permissible limit of 0.1% in Coldrif,” said drug controller D.K. Maurya, warning that such levels are extremely hazardous.
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