Rs 2.54 per life: Madhya Pradesh doctor got commission each time he prescribed coldrif cough syrup that killed MP kids, reports say

Coldrif syrup

For Dr Praveen Soni, a paediatrician posted at the Parasia government health centre in Madhya Pradesh, each prescription of the now-banned Coldrif cough syrup allegedly earned him a commission of just Rs 2.54, a 10% cut on a bottle priced at Rs 24.54, NDTV reported. That small sum has now become central to a devastating tragedy in which 23 children lost their lives after consuming the syrup.

The NDTV report said that according to police, Dr Soni continued to prescribe Coldrif, manufactured by Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, even after the Centre had prohibited the use of fixed-dose combination (FDC) medicines for children under four years of age. The syrup was later found to contain dangerously high levels of diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical known to cause kidney failure.

Investigators allege that Dr Soni ignored the warnings and prescribed the syrup repeatedly from his private clinic. Most of the children who died had reportedly received the same medicine from him. Both Dr Soni and Ranganathan, the owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, are now in police custody. The Tamil Nadu government has since ordered the company’s shutdown, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted raids on its premises.

Police told the court that Dr Soni confessed to receiving commissions from the company, though his lawyer, Pawan Shukla, dismissed the confession as “fabricated and legally worthless,” arguing there was no direct evidence linking his client to the deaths.

NDTV’s earlier investigation had revealed that Dr Soni’s wife and nephew owned pharmacies that sold Coldrif, deepening suspicions of a conflict of interest. Authorities have confirmed that while no further arrests have been made, the probe remains active.

Despite a December 2023 directive from the Directorate General of Health Services prohibiting FDC prescriptions for children, Dr Soni allegedly continued recommending the syrup even after reports of urinary retention and kidney failure surfaced. Several children were later shifted from Parasia to Nagpur, where they died between September and October.

This case has once again turned the spotlight on India’s recurring pharma-doctor nexus. A decade ago, Madhya Pradesh faced similar scandals involving luxury foreign junkets and illegal drug trials but little accountability followed.