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Telangana issues ‘stop use notice’, Kerala latest to ban Coldrif cough syrup after children's death | Details
The Telangana DCA cautioned residents to "immediately stop using Coldrif syrup, Batch No. SR-13, if in possession."
Telangana has issued a ‘public alert - stop use notice', while Kerala has suspended the sale of the Coldrif cough syrup in the aftermath of children's deaths in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh allegedly following its consumption.
In a release regarding the public alert, the Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) said it had been “alerted” about the reports of deaths in MP and Rajasthan, PTI reported.
“Stop Use Notice Regarding Coldrif Syrup (Batch No. SR-13),” it said, citing the alleged adulteration of the product batch with Diethylene Glycol (DEG). a toxic substance.
The release “cautioned” the state's residents to “immediately stop using Coldrif syrup, Batch No. SR-13, if in possession, and report it to the local Drugs Control Authorities without delay.”
The public can also report possession of the drug to the DCA using its toll free number on all working days, the notice stated. It added that officials from the DCA in Telangana were coordinating with their Tamil Nadu counterparts to track the distribution of the product batch.
The release said that all drug inspectors and assistant directors were instructed to immediately alert retailers, wholesalers, and hospitals to “freeze” or stop the use of any stocks of the product batch, if available in the market, according to PTI.
While in Kerala, a preliminary inquiry by the state DCA found that the flagged batch of the syrup had not been sold there, state health minister Veena George said. However, the minister said that the drug inspectors had been instructed to completely stop the distribution and sale of Coldrif “out of concern for safety.”
George said that the cough syrup was being sold to eight distributors in Kerala, adding that these had been instructed to halt distribution and sale. The minister said that the officials had been instructed to also suspend the sale of the syrup through medical stores.
Samples of the cough syrup were taken for examination, while other such medicines are also being inspected, George said. Earlier, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have suspended the sale of Coldrif.
The case came to light after nine children in MP's Chhindwara district died due to a suspected kidney infection after the alleged consumption of the syrup. A test report of the product batch of the drug confirmed high levels of diethylene glycol in the syrup.
“The concentration of diethylene glycol was found to be over 48% compared to the permissible limit of just 0.1% in Coldrif,” drug controller D.K. Maurya said, adding that this was “extremely dangerous.”
