Authorities in India have arrested the owner of a pharmaceutical company following the tragic deaths of at least 17 young children. These fatalities, all involving children under five years old, are linked to a cough syrup found to contain dangerously high levels of a toxic chemical.
S. Ranganathan, who owns Sresan Pharmaceutical, was taken into custody in Chennai, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu. His company produced “Coldrif” cough syrup. Police revealed that the contaminated medicine contained diethylene glycol, a harmful chemical, at levels nearly 500 times above the safe limit. The children died in Madhya Pradesh over the past month after taking the syrup. Ranganathan is set to appear in court and will then be moved to Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh for further legal action.
The terrible discovery led to an immediate ban on Coldrif cough syrup in many parts of India last Thursday. This move came after tests confirmed the presence of the toxic substance.
This isn’t the first time Indian-made cough syrups have caused such a tragedy. Since 2023, stricter rules require cough syrups meant for export to be tested in government labs. This change happened after more than 10 children died in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon, all linked to similar medicines from India.
The World Health Organization, or WHO, has expressed serious concerns. They say this latest incident points to “regulatory gaps” in how India checks medicines sold within its own borders. WHO also warned that some of these unsafe drugs might still be finding their way out of the country through unofficial channels.
Recently, Indian officials also told people to stop using two other locally sold cough syrups: “Respifresh” and “RELIFE.” These are made by Shape Pharma and Rednex Pharmaceuticals, both based in the state of Gujarat. Tests showed these products also had the same dangerous chemical contamination.
India is often called the “pharmacy of the world” because it makes the third-largest amount of medicine globally, right after the United States and China. The country provides 40% of the generic drugs used in the U.S. and over 90% of those used in many African nations. These repeated safety failures could significantly damage its global reputation.
Source: Reuters