MP doctor arrested after 10 children die from toxic Coldrif syrup
The CDSCO has initiated risk-based inspections of manufacturing units for several drugs across six states to ensure medication safety and prevent further tragedies.
The CDSCO has initiated risk-based inspections of manufacturing units for several drugs across six states to ensure medication safety and prevent further tragedies.
The CDSCO has initiated risk-based inspections of manufacturing units for several drugs across six states to ensure medication safety and prevent further tragedies.
Police arrested a paediatrician in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district following the deaths of 10 children linked to the consumption of adulterated Coldrif cough syrup sparked widespread outrage, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Most of the children who died had been treated at the private clinic of Dr Praveen Soni in Parasia. Soni, who also serves as a government doctor, reportedly prescribed Coldrif to several children suffering from cough and seasonal fever. The tragedy unfolded when the children, initially showing signs of improvement, developed severe complications that led to kidney failure and ultimately death.
In response, the Madhya Pradesh government registered a case against Srisan Pharmaceuticals, the Tamil Nadu-based company in Kanchipuram that manufactures Coldrif. Officials confirmed that laboratory tests of the syrup detected dangerously high levels of diethylene glycol, a highly toxic industrial solvent.
According to government analysts at the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai, the syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol. The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control subsequently declared the sample "Not of Standard Quality," prompting the state government to ban the sale and distribution of Coldrif across Madhya Pradesh.
As an added precaution, authorities also prohibited the sale of another cough syrup, Nextro-DS, while awaiting its test results. The report confirming Coldrif’s toxicity was received on Saturday, and results for Nextro-DS are still pending.
The crisis began when children suffering from routine cough and fever were given the syrup. Though symptoms initially improved, they later developed severe complications, including a drastic reduction in urine output, indicating acute kidney injury.
As conditions worsened, kidney biopsies confirmed diethylene glycol poisoning. Affected children were first admitted to Chhindwara District Hospital, with several later transferred to Nagpur, Maharashtra, for advanced care. Despite medical efforts, three children died in Nagpur, and six others in Chhindwara over the following days.
Authorities have launched an extensive investigation into how the toxic syrup reached the market and why it was prescribed to children. Officials are examining the role of Srisan Pharmaceuticals and the distribution network responsible for supplying the contaminated batch.
Authorities have been instructed to maintain strict monitoring of Coldrif Syrup and ensure full compliance with the ban. Health officials have urged parents and caregivers to avoid administering Coldrif Syrup and to report any adverse reactions in children to the nearest health facility.