What happened in India in recent weeks is truly unacceptable. In the districts of Chhindwara and Betul, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, dozens of children ended up in hospital with serious symptoms such as vomiting, high fever and above all acute kidney failure. Parents didn’t understand what was happening to their little ones and unfortunately, many didn’t make it: at least 21 children lost their lives.
After initial investigations, the truth emerged: all the children had taken the same cough syrup, Coldrif, produced by Sresan Pharmaceuticals.
What did it really contain? Laboratory analyzes have detected the presence of diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent toxic to the kidneys, in very high concentrations, almost 50%. This compound, used in the industrial sector, is obviously not part of the formulation of drugs, much less those intended for children.
The authorities responded by immediately removing all the contaminated batches from the market, arresting the owner of the company and suspending the doctor who had prescribed the syrup. Indian regulators also asked consumers to avoid two other syrups, Respifresh TR and ReLife. None of the 3 products were exported out of the country.
The families of the victims, all under the age of six, are now calling for justice as the Madhya Pradesh government admitted shortcomings in the drugs control system and promised to improve coordination between health authorities.
The precedents
This is not the first time that India has ended up at the center of a scandal linked to the production of toxic syrups. You may remember that in 2022, around 70 children in Gambia died after taking cough syrups made in India and containing lethal levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
Also in Uzbekistan, in 2022, 20 children died for the same reason.
The problem, evidently, seems not to have been solved: the drug control system in India is fragmented and struggles to monitor hundreds of small producers. Some, among other things, sell unapproved preparations, freely distributed and widespread especially in rural areas, where they are often administered by people without any medical expertise.
