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Karnataka govt sounds alert after MP, Rajasthan report deaths
The Karnataka government on Monday issued a statewide alert and ordered drug inspections after reports linked the deaths of several children to contaminated cough syrups
The Karnataka government on Monday issued a statewide alert and ordered drug inspections after reports from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan linked the deaths of several children to contaminated cough syrups.
Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the alert was a precautionary measure, even though no similar cases have been reported in Karnataka.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah has directed the health department to review the situation and ensure that the syrups in question were not distributed in the state, he added.
“We have already asked officials to verify whether any of these products were sold here, and as per our current information, none of them have entered Karnataka,” said Rao. “Parents must be extremely careful when giving cough syrups to children under five years old,”he added.
The health minister said samples of all cough syrup brands available in the market were being collected and sent for laboratory testing. The state’s drug control department, he added, was already on high alert and had intensified quality checks. “Karnataka is among the leading states in the country when it comes to conducting regular drug quality tests,” he said.
Rao said the deaths reported in other states were the result of “negligence by certain pharmaceutical units” and stressed that such lapses must be met with strict penalties. He also directed state health officials to issue updated guidelines on the use of cough syrups for young children.
Adding that there was a need for stronger oversight nationwide, Rao said the Centre must bring in tougher laws to tackle drug adulteration and improve coordination between states. “I had written to the Central government earlier regarding adulteration of medicines, fake drugs, and the need for stricter monitoring,” he said. “I had also urged the Union health minister to create a dedicated website for the swift exchange of information whenever any case of drug adulteration is detected.”
According to a circular issued by the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) on October 5, the recent child deaths in Madhya Pradesh were linked to Coldriff Syrup (Batch No. SR-13), manufactured by a Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceutical company. Following the deaths, the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department prohibited the sale and consumption of that batch in the state.
The circular also cited incidents in Rajasthan, where several children reportedly died after consuming Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide Syrup IP, produced by Kaysons Pharma in Jaipur.
Rao said the state health and drug control departments were maintaining constant vigilance and district-level officers were deputed to check pharmacy stocks and storage facilities. “As a preventive step, we are testing samples from all major brands, and strict action will follow if any violations are found,” he said.
The health department has asked the public to rely only on prescribed medication and avoid administering over-the-counter syrups to infants and toddlers.
