FDA gives clean chit to cough syrup made in Baddi

In a major relief to the state, the sample of Nastro-DS cough syrup manufactured by Baddi-based Aquinnova Pharmaceuticals was found to qualify the quality parameters and was free of toxic impurity diethylene glycol.

Seven children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district had died after consuming Coldrif syrup containing toxic industrial chemical diethylene glycol (DEG). As five drug manufacturing firms in the state had also supplied cough syrups to hospitals in MP, their syrups were sampled as a precaution by the authorities there.

State Drugs Controller Dr Manish Kapoor, while confirming the news said, “The said cough syrup was sampled by Madhya Pradesh (MP)-based Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) after the consumption of Coldrif syrup was found causing child mortality. Nastro DS had also come under the scrutiny of the authorities as these two cough syrups had been consumed by the ailing children.”

As an added precaution, the state government today directed the drug inspectors to draw samples of all cough syrups using propylene glycol manufactured in the state from the manufacturing premises as well as retail sellers and wholesalers on a monthly basis for laboratory analysis. This will rule out the manufacture and sale of syrups containing toxic impurities and ensure sale of quality syrups.

The state government, in another move, prohibited the sale, distribution and utilisation of two more cough syrups — Respifresh TR and Relife — after those were found containing toxic impurity DEG above the permissible limit. “As those can adversely impact a consumer’s health, the state government acted swiftly and prohibited their use. A batch of Coldrif syrup was prohibited for use last evening,” informed Dr Kapoor. “The move follows the receipt of communication from FDA Madhya Pradesh which tested the duo. Batch number R01GL2523 of Respifresh TR and batch number LSL25160, both of whose expiry is in December 2026, are manufactured by Gujarat-based companies.”

Meanwhile, a visible scare has set-in in consumers after cases of toxic cough syrups pour in one after the other in various states. Besides having adverse health impact like renal failure, those have been found to cause mortality in severe cases with children being the worst-hit.