Kerala suspends sale of Coldrif cough syrup amid child death reports

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Kerala on Saturday became the latest state to suspend the sale and distribution of the cough syrup Coldrif after reports from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan linked the medicine to the deaths of at least 11 children over the past month.

State Health Minister Veena George announced that the Drugs Control Department had ordered an immediate halt on sales as a precautionary measure, even though the specific batch under investigation was not distributed in Kerala.

“The Drugs Controller has instructed inspectors to stop the distribution and sale of Coldrif syrup across the state,” the minister said in Thiruvananthapuram. She added that all eight distributors of the product in Kerala have been told to suspend operations, and pharmacies directed to remove existing stocks. Samples of Coldrif and other syrups have been collected for testing, while inspections are underway to check for any additional supplies that may have entered through private channels.

George also stressed that the move aligns with national guidelines from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), which bar prescribing cough syrups to children under the age of two.

Kerala’s action follows similar bans by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh earlier this week, as the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) widens its inspection of 19 drug manufacturing units across six states.

The controversy began in early September when children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district developed acute kidney failure allegedly after consuming Coldrif. By month-end, nine deaths were reported in Chhindwara and two in Rajasthan. Health authorities said the children had been given syrups containing dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath alleged the medicines were contaminated with toxic compounds such as Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG), chemicals known to cause severe kidney damage.

The cough syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharma, based in Sunguvarchathram near Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. The state’s Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) sealed the unit after initial tests suggested adulteration. “Production has been halted until further orders and samples have been sent to government labs for detailed testing,” an FSDA official said.

Tamil Nadu formally banned the syrup from October 1 and ordered all existing stocks to be recalled. The company had reportedly supplied the product to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Puducherry as well.

The Union Health Ministry confirmed that CDSCO inspections, which began October 3, aim to identify systemic lapses in manufacturing and recommend corrective measures. A multidisciplinary team of experts from ICMR, NEERI, AIIMS-Nagpur, and other institutes is analysing samples.

While early test results found no DEG or EG contamination in samples collected in Madhya Pradesh, subsequent checks in Tamil Nadu confirmed the presence of DEG in batches from Sresan Pharma’s plant.

Investigations are continuing to determine the extent of contamination and whether it was responsible for the deaths.