Cough Syrup Row: Tamil Nadu Acts Within A Day, Madhya Pradesh Probe Drags On

Madhya Pradesh has reported nine child deaths, with their families alleging it is linked to cough syrups 'Coldrif' and 'Nextros DS' - prescribed for fever and cough. Almost every child first developed a fever and was being treated at a clinic in the state. Within days of being given the syrups, symptoms began: vomiting, diarrhea, and eventually the sudden stoppage of urination, classic signs of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) poisoning - the same tragedy that once killed children in Gambia in 2022.

But while Tamil Nadu tested, confirmed, and banned the suspected batch within 24 hours, Madhya Pradesh is still "awaiting reports".

On October 1, Tamil Nadu's Drugs Control Department received a letter from Madhya Pradesh about Coldrif Syrup, batch SR-13, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in the Kanchipuram district. Despite a government holiday, a team of inspectors reached the facility the very same evening, conducted a detailed inspection, and noticed 39 critical and 325 major violations of drug manufacturing and laboratory practice rules. They drew samples of Coldrif and four other syrups, froze all remaining stocks at the plant, and sent the samples to the Chennai government laboratory with special instructions for DEG and ethylene glycol testing.

Within 24 hours, the government analyst issued Form-13, declaring Coldrif Syrup Batch SR-13 not of standard quality and adulterated with 48.6 per cent Diethylene Glycol, an industrial solvent used in paints and known to cause acute kidney failure. The report further confirmed that the syrup failed the test for ethylene glycol, while the other four syrups were found to be of standard quality.

The Tamil Nadu government immediately swung into action. A statewide alert was issued to prevent the sale and distribution of the contaminated syrup. The distribution list was circulated to all drug inspectors across the state, with strict orders to freeze every available stock at wholesale and retail levels. Communications were also sent to Odisha and Puducherry based on interstate distribution records from the manufacturer. On October 3, the state issued a stop-production order to the company in the public interest, served a show-cause notice for cancellation of its licence, and warned the public to report any stocks of the syrup to local authorities.

Tamil Nadu's Deputy Director of Drugs Control, S Gurubharathi, called it the first instance in India where inspection, sampling, testing, and a stop-production order were completed within two days of receiving information, even during government holidays.

But in Madhya Pradesh, the tone is very different and contradictory. State Health Minister Rajendra Shukla insists that tests so far have shown nothing. "The samples sent did not show any substance that could suggest the deaths were caused by these medications. Reports on the remaining medications are pending. It is true that the children died, but we are trying to obtain reports from the government's labs," he said.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Parasia, Shubham Yadav, said, "The biopsy confirmed a kidney infection. Common causes include dirty water, rats, and mosquitoes. We are in preventive mode. Sales of the drug have been stopped, and samples have been sent for testing. Action will be taken only if responsibility is proven."

Yet, senior health officials quietly acknowledge the truth. Dr Prabhakar Tiwari, Senior Joint Director of the National Health Mission, admitted that renal biopsies show kidney failure caused by a toxic substance - likely the cough syrup contaminated with an industrial solvent.

The deaths of the nine children in Madhya Pradesh - Shivam, Vidhi, Adnan, Usaid, Rishika, Hetansh, Vikas, Chanchalesh, and Sandhya - hang like a shadow over this bureaucratic hesitation. Families are left bewildered that if Tamil Nadu could test, confirm, and ban the syrup in 24 hours, even during holidays, why is Madhya Pradesh still waiting? Why is denial stronger than action, even when children's lives are at stake?

The question that Madhya Pradesh cannot escape is: If one state can act overnight in the public interest, why must another insist on dragging its feet even as grieving families bury their children?

In Rajasthan, where three children have died, State Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar went even further by blaming the families. "The medicine in question was not prescribed by any government doctor. It was given at the level of the parents, who purchased it themselves. The health department has no role in this. The drug is correct; the report has shown no fault," he said.