Karnataka issues alert over cough syrups; health minister urges parental caution

Karnataka has issued a statewide alert due to child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups in other states.

Karnataka has issued a statewide alert after reports of child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Monday.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed the health department to investigate the matter.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed the health department to investigate the matter and ensure no such products enter Karnataka, news agency PTI reported.

Gundu Rao clarified that the "substandard" syrups linked to the deaths elsewhere have not been supplied or sold in Karnataka so far. “We have already instructed officials to check whether any of these products were sold in the state. As per our information, none have come to Karnataka,” he said according to the report.

As a precautionary step, samples of all cough syrup brands are being collected and tested by the state’s Drug Control Department. “We have taken preventive measures and are on high alert. Karnataka is among the leading states in conducting drug quality tests,” the minister added.

Rao has also asked officials to issue guidelines on the safe use of cough syrups, especially for children under the age of five.

He urged parents to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary use of cough syrups for infants and toddlers. The minister attributed the child deaths in other states to the “negligence” of certain drug manufacturers.

“The Centre must enact stricter laws against drug adulteration and improve coordination between states,” Rao said. He added that he had previously written to the Union Health Ministry seeking stronger monitoring and the creation of a national information-sharing portal for reporting cases of drug contamination.

According to a circular dated October 5, the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) highlighted recent incidents where child deaths in Madhya Pradesh were linked to Coldrif Syrup (Batch No. SR-13), manufactured by a Tamil Nadu-based firm. The Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department has since banned the sale and use of that batch in the state.

Similarly, a few child deaths in Rajasthan were reported after the consumption of Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide Syrup IP, produced by Kaysons Pharma, Jaipur, the circular stated.