According to the Ministry of Health, an examination of Coldrif cough syrup (Sresan Pharma, India) showed that the permissible levels of diethylene glycol were exceeded.
"The diethylene glycol content in the samples exceeds the permissible limits," the ministry said in a statement.
Diethylene glycol is a toxic solvent for industrial applications, which has already led to mass poisoning with fatal outcome in a number of countries.
Earlier, the media reported that cough syrup could be the cause of the recent deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh.
According to the ministry's statement, inspections of 19 pharmaceutical companies have begun in six states. The purpose of these inspections is to identify violations in the quality control system and develop measures to prevent such cases in the future.
The quality of Indian-made pharmaceutical products has been questioned after statements by the World Health Organization (WHO) about the association of cough syrups from an Indian manufacturer with the death of 70 children in the Gambia in 2022. New Delhi later denied this.
According to the Center for Pharmaceutical Safety, the drug "Coldrif", manufactured by Sresan Pharma, is not registered in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
