India Investigates Contaminated Cough Syrup Linked to Child Deaths

Indian officials are investigating whether safety lapses in the supply of a pharmaceutical ingredient led to the contamination of a cough syrup that has killed at least 24 children in recent months, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Three Tamil Nadu state health and drug officials told Reuters they believe the solvent used to make a batch of Coldrif cough syrup may have been contaminated with a toxic chemical at the time it was delivered to Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer.

Sresan bought 50 kg of the solvent propylene glycol (PG) from local chemical distributor Sunrise Biotech on March 25, which purchased it the same day from Jinkushal Aroma, a small company that makes fragrance blends for liquid detergents and other chemicals, according to interviews with the suppliers and an Oct. 3 examination report by Tamil nadu’s pharmaceutical regulator.

Authorities said the Coldrif syrup was heavily contaminated with a known industrial toxin, diethylene glycol.

they are investigating how the chemical was added to the solvent used in the cough syrup as a base to dissolve its active ingredients.

The deaths, which began in September, have reignited concerns about safety standards in India’s $50 billion pharmaceutical sector, which has been tarnished by the deaths of more than 140 children in Africa and Central Asia in 2022 and 2023 from Indian cough syrups made with contaminated solvents.

Consequently of these deaths, New Delhi has committed to improving quality control.