Toxic Cough Syrup Probe: Uninspected Factory, 48% DEG; How a Toxic Syrup Reached Children
Contaminated cough syrup in Tamil Nadu linked to 24 child deaths sparks major safety probe.
Authorities in Tamil Nadu are investigating serious safety lapses and weak regulatory oversight after a batch of contaminated cough syrup led to the deaths of at least 24 children across multiple districts. Preliminary findings suggest that a toxic chemical may have entered the medicine’s solvent supply chain, exposing deep flaws in India’s pharmaceutical manufacturing system.
Officials probing the tragedy believe that the solvent used to produce the fatal batch of Coldrif cough syrup—propylene glycol (PG)—may have been tainted with diethylene glycol (DEG), a chemical commonly found in industrial products but lethal if consumed. DEG contamination has been linked to multiple mass poisoning cases worldwide. Investigators said Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, which made the syrup, purchased the solvent in March from Sunrise Biotech, which itself sourced it from Jinkushal Aroma—a company that deals in fragrance blends, not medicine-grade ingredients.
Neither of these suppliers held valid drug licenses required under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to handle pharmaceutical substances. Both companies admitted to repackaging the solvent, a process prohibited under pharmaceutical safety norms. Sunrise Biotech confirmed that it supplied the solvent to Sresan in unsealed containers, contrary to international safety standards that mandate sealed, tamper-proof deliveries. The lack of traceability in the chemical’s logistics chain has become a key focus of the investigation.
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Authorities have already revoked Sresan’s manufacturing license and detained its founder, G. Ranganathan, as investigators examine extensive violations at the company’s plant near Chennai. A state regulatory report cited unhygienic storage conditions, falsified data entries, and hundreds of quality breaches in drug manufacturing. However, the specific link between these lapses and the deaths is still being established. The state regulator and central drug control agencies have also launched inspections of other pharmaceutical units across Tamil Nadu.
The tragedy recalls earlier scandals in India’s pharmaceutical export sector, where contaminated syrups made in the country were tied to child deaths in Africa and Central Asia between 2022 and 2023. In response, the Indian government had pledged stricter oversight and improved testing, but the latest incident reveals persistent gaps in enforcement. Public health experts have now demanded stronger supply-chain monitoring and renewed independent audits of all domestic drug manufacturers involved in pediatric medicine formulation.
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