Doctor who prescribed Cough Syrup, arrested after death of 11 children in MP
A laboratory report issued on Friday confirmed the syrup contained 48.6% Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical that can cause kidney failure and death if consumed.
PTC News Desk: Authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district arrested Dr. Praveen Soni on Saturday night after 11 children died allegedly due to a contaminated cough syrup he prescribed. Earlier, police had filed an FIR against Dr. Soni and the operators of Sresun Pharmaceuticals — the company that makes Coldrif syrup — under Section 27(A) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Sections 105 and 276 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complaint was lodged by Ankit Sahlam, Block Medical Officer of Parasia Community Health Centre.
Investigations revealed that Dr. Soni had prescribed Coldrif to most of the affected children. A laboratory report issued on Friday confirmed the syrup contained 48.6% Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical that can cause kidney failure and death if consumed.
In response, the Union Health Secretary is expected to hold a video conference with Health Secretaries, Principal Secretaries (Health), and Drug Controllers from all states and Union Territories to discuss stricter monitoring and rational use of cough syrups, along with measures to ensure medicine safety.
The Madhya Pradesh government, on Saturday, banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif syrup after lab tests confirmed the presence of poisonous substances in samples from the same batch linked to the deaths — nine earlier and two more later — in Chhindwara. The state’s Drug Controller described the syrup, made by Sresun Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram district, as “non-standard and defective (NSQ)” in a report issued by the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Directorate on October 2.
Officials stated that the contamination rendered the medicine unfit for human use. The government ordered an immediate stop to the sale, distribution, and disposal of Coldrif syrup and instructed authorities to seal all remaining stocks. The ban has also been extended to other products manufactured by Sresun Pharmaceuticals, which is already under investigation by Tamil Nadu authorities following a similar prohibition imposed on October 1.