Cough syrup horror: Rajasthan suspends drug controller, halts distribution of pharma company
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Cough syrup horror: Rajasthan suspends drug controller, halts distribution of pharma company")
Representative Image Photograph: (ANI)
The move by the Rajasthan government comes after two children died and at least 10 others reported ill after allegedly consuming the syrup, over the past two weeks.
Hours after the Union Health Ministry on Friday issued a statement on the reported deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to alleged consumption of cough syrups, the Rajasthan government suspended the state drug controller and stopped the distribution of medicines manufactured by Kaysons Pharma, a Jaipur-based company.
All 19 medicines manufactured by the pharma company has been stopped for supply by the Medical and Health Department of the state till further orders.
Drug controller Rajaram Sharma has been suspended for allegedly influencing the process of determining drug standards, the department said, as reported by news agency PTI.
The move comes after two children died and at least 10 others reported ill after allegedly consuming the syrup, over the past two weeks. Both the deaths in Rajasthan were reported from Sikar and Bharatpur, after the children reportedly consumed the syrup supplied under the state’s free medicine scheme.
DGHS issues advisory on paediatric use
Earlier on Friday the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) in Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ruled out any contamination due to chemicals such as Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG) in the cough syrups after conducting tests.
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“Various samples were collected in coordination with the state authorities including samples of various cough syrups. As per the test results, none of the samples contained Diethylene Glycol (DEG) or Ethylene Glycol (EG), contaminants that are known to cause serious kidney injury,” the union health ministry said in the statement.
It added that the Madhya Pradesh State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) also tested three samples and confirmed the absence of DEG/EG.
However, the DGHS took cognisance of the use of cough syrups and issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories on rational use of cough syrups in the paediatric population and called for sensitising people and medical practitioners.
