Rajasthan cough syrup horror: 2 kids dead, 10 ill; doctor drinks it to prove safety and faints

A cough syrup supplied by the Rajasthan government has been linked to the deaths of two children and the illness of at least 10 others across the state in the past two weeks. Notably, even a doctor who tried to prove the medicine’s safety by taking a dose himself was also knocked unconscious and was found in his car eight hours later.

The syrup, manufactured by Kayson Pharma, contains dextromethorphan hydrobromide. The alarm was raised on Monday when Nitish, a 5-year-old from Sikar district, died just hours after taking the medicine.

Nitish had developed a cough and cold, and his parents took him to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Chirana on Sunday. Doctors there prescribed the cough syrup, which was dispensed directly from the centre. His mother gave him the medicine at 11.30 pm.

Nitish woke once around 3 am, hiccuped, drank some water, and went back to sleep. By morning, he did not wake up. His parents rushed him to the government hospital, where he was declared dead.

"Nitish was alright that day and had also gone for the Navratri programme in the evening. When he began coughing again at night, he was given the medicine that we had got from the Chirana CHC. In the morning, we realised he was not waking up and took him to the CHC, where the compounder asked us to take him to the government hospital in Sikar. He was given the prescribed dose and was okay before taking the medicine," the boy's uncle, Priyakant Sharma was quoted by NDTV as saying.

Earlier death in Bharatpur

When Nitish’s case came to light, another family in Malha village, Bharatpur, realised the same syrup had killed their two-year-old boy, Samrat Jatav, on September 22.

Samrat, his sister Sakshi, and cousin Virat had all been given the syrup after falling sick. Hours later, all three became unconscious. While Sakshi and Virat woke up vomiting, Samrat died at JK Lon Hospital in Jaipur.

"Three of my grandchildren took the syrup and we did not know that it could be deadly. Two of them finally woke up hours later, but I lost 2-year-old Samrat... We did not know the syrup was the cause until we heard about the boy from Sikar district and about others falling ill because of it," said Samrat's grandmother Nehni Jatav.

Doctor and ambulance driver also fall ill

In Bayana, a mother complained to Dr Tarachand Yogi, who had prescribed the syrup, after her three-year-old son fell sick from it. To prove the medicine was safe, Dr Yogi drank the syrup himself and gave some to an ambulance driver.

Soon after, he felt drowsy, parked his car on the roadside, and remained unconscious for eight hours until his family tracked him using his phone. The ambulance driver also showed similar symptoms but recovered after treatment.

In Banswara district, eight more children aged between one and five also fell ill after taking the syrup last week. A six-year-old’s condition was serious but later stabilised.

Government response on syrup case

The Rajasthan government has now banned 22 batches of the syrup and stopped its distribution. Since July, over 1.33 lakh bottles had already been given to patients. Nearly 8,200 bottles are still stocked at SMS Hospital in Jaipur but are no longer being issued.

Officials said all doctors have been directed to stop prescribing the syrup. Samples are being tested for safety, and supplies from Kayson Pharma have been suspended. The company had previously faced trouble in 2023 when one of its syrups was banned for poor quality.

"The drug suspected to have led to some children having trouble breathing or feeling drowsy has been banned. The reactions could be a result of overdosing as well. In Banswara, most children have recovered after undergoing treatment. A 6-year-old's condition was serious, but he has also recovered, NDTV quoted Dr Pradyuman Jain, paediatrician at the Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital in Banswara, as saying.