Toxic cough syrup linked to 17 child deaths in India

India’s drug regulator has confirmed that several pharmaceutical companies failed to follow safety rules for testing medicinal ingredients. This comes after 17 children under five died from toxic cough syrups made by local manufacturers. Drug Controller General Rajeev Raghuvanshi said inspections found serious lapses at factories already flagged for poor quality. However, the advisory did not name any companies or specify how many were involved.

The cough syrup responsible for the latest deaths was identified as Coldrif Syrup, made by Sresan Pharmaceutical in Tamil Nadu. Tests revealed the syrup contained dangerous levels of diethylene glycol—about 500 times above the legal limit. The medicine was only sold locally, but the World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking clarification on whether it was exported. WHO may issue a global alert after confirmation from Indian authorities.

Police have launched a manslaughter probe into Sresan, and the company’s licence may be cancelled. Meanwhile, India’s health ministry is inspecting 19 other drug manufacturing units across six states. In Gujarat, samples from Shape Pharma and Rednex Pharmaceuticals were also found to be below standard. Production and distribution at these facilities were immediately stopped, and more samples are being tested.

Gujarat’s health minister confirmed that additional cough syrup samples were collected from both companies for lab testing. Telangana state has advised the public to stop using Relife and Respifresh TR syrups made by these firms. However, both companies have yet to respond to media inquiries. The growing list of unsafe products has raised serious concerns about regulatory oversight in the pharmaceutical industry.

India has faced multiple international scandals involving tainted syrups, including cases in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon that killed over 140 children. The country’s drug industry, worth $50 billion, plays a major role in global medicine supply. It provides 40% of generic medicines to the U.S. and most medicines to African nations. These repeated failures are now putting both public health and India’s reputation at risk.