Kochi: Kerala has become the third state to ban Coldrif cough syrup after reports from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra linked the medicine to the deaths of at least 12 children over the past month.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Saturday that the state has suspended sale and distribution of the cough syrup following safety issues being flagged in one batch of the medicine. ADVERTISEMENT

Earlier in the day, the Madhya Pradesh government banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of highly-toxic chemical Diethylene Glycol (DEG) in samples collected from the same batch linked to the deaths of 9 children in Chhindwara district.

As per a copy of the directive, accessed by Aaj Tak, MP’s drug controller said the syrup, manu

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