- The children who died were aged two and five
- At least 10 other children across Rajasthan have fallen ill
- 22 batches of the syrup have been banned
A generic cough syrup manufactured by a pharmaceutical company for the Rajasthan government has led to the deaths of two children and at least 10 others falling ill in the state over the past two weeks, officials said. A doctor who took a dose of the syrup to demonstrate that it was safe was also knocked unconscious and was found in his car eight hours later.
The dangers of some batches of the cough syrup, which contains the compound dextromethorphan hydrobromide and is manufactured by a company called Kayson Pharma, came to light on Monday when a five-year-old boy died hours after being given the drug.
Nitish, 5, from Sikar district in Rajasthan, developed a cough and cold and was taken by his parents to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Chirana on Sunday. The doctor prescribed the cough syrup, which was given from the Centre, and Nitish's mother gave it to him around 11.30 that night.
Nitish woke up once at 3 am and hiccuped, after which his mother gave him some water and he went back to sleep. He never awoke after that.
The five-year-old was taken to the government hospital by his panicked parents on Monday morning, but was declared brought dead.
"Nitish was alright that day and had also gone for the Navratri programme in the evening. When he began coughing again at night, he was given the medicine that we had got from the Chirana CHC. In the morning, we realised he was not waking up and took him to the CHC, where the compounder asked us to take him to the government hospital in Sikar. He was given the prescribed dose and was okay before taking the medicine," the boy's uncle, Priyakant Sharma, told NDTV.
Earlier Tragedy
When the news about Nitish broke this week, the parents of a 2-year-old who died after consuming the cough syrup on September 22 also realised what had caused his death.
An NDTV team visited Malha village on the outskirts of Bharatpur to meet the family of the boy. They said 2-year-old Samrat Jatav, his sister Sakshi and cousin Virat all came down with a cough and cold earlier this month. His mother, Jyoti, went to the local public health centre on September 22 and was given the same cough syrup made by Kayson Pharma.
Jyoti gave Samrat, Sakshi and Viraat the syrup at 1.30 pm and the family got very worried when none of the three children woke up even five hours later. They managed to shake Sakshi and Viraat awake, and both of them vomited immediately, but Samrat remained unconscious.
The two-year-old was rushed to a hospital in Bharatpur and then referred to the JK Lon Hospital in Jaipur, where he died on September 22.
"Three of my grandchildren took the syrup and we did not know that it could be deadly. Two of them finally woke up hours later, but I lost 2-year-old Samrat... We did not know the syrup was the cause until we heard about the boy from Sikar district and about others falling ill because of it," said Samrat's grandmother Nehni Jatav.
Doctor Falls Ill
In neighbouring Bayana, 3-year-old Gagan Kumar took ill after being given the cough syrup on September 24, and his mother went to the community health centre in-charge, Dr Tarachand Yogi, who had prescribed the syrup, to complain.
A confident Dr Yogi then took a dose of the syrup himself and also gave it to an ambulance driver, Rajendra, to prove that it was safe.
The doctor then left for Bharatpur in his car, but felt drowsy, parked on the side of a road and fell unconscious. After they did not hear from him for a long time, his family tracked down his mobile location and found him knocked out in the car eight hours later.
The ambulance driver also reported similar symptoms three hours after being given the syrup and has recovered after treatment.
Over the past week, eight children - aged between one and five - have also fallen ill in Banswara district in south Rajasthan after consuming the medicine.
Government Action
After the reports of the two children dying and others falling ill emerged, the Rajasthan government banned 22 batches of the syrup and put a freeze on their distribution. Officials from the medical department said 1.33 lakh bottles of the syrup have been given to patients in Rajasthan since July this year.
Over 8,200 bottles of the syrup are also in stock at the SMS Hospital in Jaipur, but officials have been told to ensure they are not given to anyone.
Speaking to NDTV, Dr Pradyuman Jain, paediatrician at the Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital in Banswara, said, "The drug suspected to have led to some children having trouble breathing or feeling drowsy has been banned. The reactions could be a result of overdosing as well. In Banswara, most children have recovered after undergoing treatment. A 6-year-old's condition was serious, but he has also recovered."
Jai Singh, the executive director for quality control at the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited, said doctors have been asked to stop prescribing the syrup. "Samples from 22 batches are being tested and supplies from Kayson Pharma for this drug have been stopped now," he said.
Rajasthan's Drug Controller Ajay Phatak told NDTV that a cough syrup supplied by the same company was debarred in 2023 because it had a low percentage of menthol.
NDTV visited the factory of Kayson Pharma, but found it locked. The owner of the company, Virendra Kumar Gupta, was also not available for comment.
