Rajasthan Takes Strict Action Against Kaysons Pharma After Tragic Deaths

The Rajasthan government has suspended the distribution of all medicines manufactured by Kaysons Pharma under its flagship free medicine scheme, following reports linking a company-produced cough syrup to the deaths of three children in the state. The decision, announced by the state medical department, comes amid mounting public outrage and demands for accountability, with an investigation now underway to probe how the firm secured government tenders despite a history of quality lapses.

This action affects the scheme, which provides essential drugs at no cost to millions of patients across Rajasthan's public health facilities, highlighting vulnerabilities in the supply chain for affordable healthcare.

The immediate trigger was the death of a five-year-old boy in Sikar district earlier this week, who consumed the dextromethorphan hydrobromide-based cough syrup dispensed from a government centre and subsequently suffered severe hiccups before passing away. Two additional fatalities—a two-year-old boy named Teerthraj and another named Samrat Jatav—occurred in Bharatpur district in September, with families alleging the children vomited and lost consciousness after taking the same syrup obtained from a local health centre. In a related incident, a doctor reportedly lost consciousness after using the product, though details remain unconfirmed.

The Director of Public Health, Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma, noted that the syrup is not recommended for paediatric use and was not prescribed in the Bharatpur cases, but grieving parents, including Samrat's mother, insisted it was administered on medical advice on September 18, leading to tragic outcomes by September 22.

Kaysons Pharma, based in Himachal Pradesh, has faced repeated scrutiny for substandard products, marking this as far from its first brush with regulators. In 2023, one of its medicines was rejected for failing quality tests, and BJP leader Rajendra Rathore highlighted that the company has been blacklisted multiple times in the past. Despite these red flags, it continued to win state tenders, raising questions about oversight in procurement processes.

The government's probe will examine these lapses, while the health officer linked to the Sikar incident faces suspension. This echoes broader concerns in India's pharmaceutical sector, where generic drug makers supply 20% of the global market but grapple with enforcement gaps, as seen in the 2023 WHO alerts on contaminated cough syrups from India causing over 300 child deaths worldwide.

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The suspension underscores the Rajasthan government's commitment to patient safety amid its ambitious health initiatives, including the Rs 1,500-crore annual free medicine programme launched in 2011 to reduce out-of-pocket expenses. Officials have directed immediate stock withdrawals and lab testing of remaining batches, with interim supplies sourced from alternative vendors.

As investigations unfold, this episode amplifies calls for stringent quality audits and transparent tendering to prevent future risks. For families like those in Sikar and Bharatpur, the loss serves as a stark reminder of the human cost when regulatory safeguards falter, prompting renewed scrutiny of how essential drugs reach vulnerable populations in resource-constrained settings.

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