A series of child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrup has exposed deep cracks in India’s drug regulation and manufacturing oversight

By Kattamreddy Ananth Rupesh

In the recent past, at least 14 paediatric deaths have been allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrups (Coldrif: Paracetamol, Phenylephrine and Chlorpheniramine) in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. While initial conflicting reports suggested that the samples were free of ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG), subsequent tests conducted by the Tamil Nadu Drug Controller at the manufacturing unit revealed DEG levels 480 times higher than the permissible limit in the medicines purportedly associated with the unnatural deaths of children.

A multidisciplinary team, including experts from the National Institute of Vi

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