- Enforcement Directorate is searching seven Chennai sites linked to Sresan Pharmaceuticals in syrup deaths case
- The probe agency is also raiding the residences of top officials of Tamil Nadu's drug control office
- Coldrif syrup contained toxic diethylene glycol, causing at least 20 deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
The Enforcement Directorate is conducting searches at seven premises in Chennai linked to Sresan Pharmaceuticals, which manufactured the poisonous 'Coldrif' syrup that allegedly led to at least 20 children's deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. According to officials, the probe agency is also raiding the residences of top officials of Tamil Nadu's drug control office.
A money laundering case has been filed against the pharma company, officials said.
The company's owner, Ranganathan Govindan, was arrested last week and sent to a 10-day police custody in connection with the case.
The 'Coldrif' cough syrup was found to be "dangerously" adulterated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a highly poisonous substance. An investigation reportedly revealed over 350 violations at the company's Tamil Nadu plant, including 38 serious ones.
Licensed in 2011 by the Tamil Nadu Food and Drug Administration (TNFDA), the Kanchipuram-based pharma company continued operations unchecked for over a decade despite its dismal infrastructure and multiple violations of national drug safety rules, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) said. The license, which was renewed in 2016, was given by the Tamil Nadu FDA, and the CDSCO was not involved in it, officials said.
Many states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi, have banned the syrup. The Tamil Nadu government ordered the closure of the firm and said that it would soon decide on permanently cancelling the company's license.
WHO expresses concern
Amid the nationwide outrage over children's deaths caused by the adulterated cough syrup, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern over the "regulatory gap" in screening for diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol for domestically marketed medicines in India. It also flagged the potential risk of contaminated products being exported to other countries.
"WHO expresses deep concern over these developments and emphasises the following: The potential risk of contaminated products being exported to other countries, particularly via unregulated channels. The regulatory gap in DEG/EG screening for domestically marketed medicines in India. Identifying the source of the contamination and identifying and removing any contaminated pharmaceutical material which may be in circulation," it said.
It also said that it had reached out to the CDSCO for clarification regarding the contaminated medicines.
