Cough syrup deaths: Tamil Nadu government cracks down on Sresan Pharma after 'toxic' syrup kills 22 children
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Cough syrup deaths: Tamil Nadu government cracks down on Sresan Pharma after 'toxic' syrup kills 22 children")
For representational purpose only Photograph: (File image)
Tamil Nadu government has revoked Pharma’s license after its Coldrif syrup, contaminated with toxic chemicals, caused the deaths of 22 children in Madhya Pradesh
On Monday (October 13), the Tamil Nadu government revoked the manufacturing license of Sresan Pharmaceuticals for producing the contaminated cough syrup Coldrif, which has been linked to the deaths of 22 children in Madhya Pradesh. The state’s health department announced that the company’s license was fully revoked, and its operations were shut down.
G Ranganathan, the owner of Sresan Pharma, based in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh last week at his Chennai residence. Tamil Nadu’s health officials also suspended local drug inspectors in Kancheepuram for failing to conduct inspections at the facility since 2022. The investigation was triggered after Madhya Pradesh’s drug authorities alerted Tamil Nadu on October 1. Testing of samples from the same batch of Coldrif revealed contamination, with the syrup containing dangerously high levels of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol—substances that are toxic to the kidneys. DEG was found to be present at 48.6%, a staggering 486 times the permissible limit.
In response, the Tamil Nadu government immediately halted the syrup’s sale and informed authorities in Madhya Pradesh, the Union Ministry of Health, and other affected states like Odisha and Puducherry. The state also stopped procuring Coldrif syrup for government clinics and hospitals through the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC).
On October 3, the Tamil Nadu government issued a stop-production order to Sresan Pharma. By October 5, it had sent a formal notice to the company, demanding an explanation as to why its drug license should not be revoked entirely, with a response deadline of 10 days. The authorities also issued show-cause notices to Ranganathan and the analytical chemist, K Maheswari, on October 7.
