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WHO warns against 3 cough syrups in India after children's deaths in Madhya Pradesh, Coldrif among them
The Coldrif syrup, which sparked huge backlash recently following the children's deaths, is among the three syrups the WHO has reportedly warned against.
Weeks after the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly after consumption of an adulterated cough syrup, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified three such syrups in India, urging authorities to report back to the health agency in case they detect any of them in their countries.
The infamous Coldrif syrup, which sparked huge backlash recently following the children's deaths, is among the three contaminated syrups the WHO has reportedly warned against.
The global health agency has reportedly identified specific batches of Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma, as affected medicines.
Sresan Pharmaceuticals is a Tamil Nadu-based firm whose manufacturing license was recently fully revoked following uproar over the Coldrif cough syrup. Lab tests had found the use of diethylene glycol (DEG), a chemical historically associated with mass poisoning incidents, in the syrup linked to the deaths of at least 22 children in Madhya Pradesh, mostly residents of Parasia village in Chhindwara.
According to news agency Reuters, the WHO has said that the syrups identified in India pose significant risks and can cause severe, potentially life-threatening illness.
What Indian authorities told WHO
In the wake of the children's deaths and a crackdown on Coldrif's manufacturer, the global health agency had earlier asked Indian authorities if the syrup was exported to other nations. The WHO would issue a Global Medical Products Alert based on the information received from India, news agency PTI reported last week.
Reuters has now reported that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) reportedly informed the WHO that the syrups contained toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, and were consumed by children, all under the age of five, who recently died in MP.
However, the Indian health authority also clarified that none of the contaminated medicines were exported from India, and the US also confirmed that the toxic cough syrups weren't shipped to them.
Toxic cough syrup and 22 children's deaths
The Tamil Nadu–made Coldrif cough syrup triggered major alarm recently after the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh. Tests revealed it was dangerously contaminated with the toxic chemical diethylene glycol (DEG), with concentrations exceeding 48%, far above the permissible limit of 0.1%.
Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the Tamil Nadu firm that produced the now-banned syrup, had its manufacturing license revoked and its owner G Ranganathan was arrested. Besides, a detailed inspection of other drug manufacturing companies located in the southern state was ordered.
Following the children's deaths, the government issued an advisory to states and union territories urging caution in prescribing cough syrups to children. It stressed that such medications should not be prescribed or dispensed to children below two years of age and are generally not recommended for those under five.
