Karnataka, Telangana on alert amid child deaths due to toxic cough syrup
Both states issue strict directives to enforcement and health officers following child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan; CDSCO initiates risk-based inspections in six states
The Karnataka and Telangana governments have instructed enforcement officers to maintain heightened surveillance on specific cough syrups after reports of child deaths linked to their use in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Also read | SIT to probe 14 cough syrup deaths in MP; doctors threaten stir over arrest
The Telangana government has issued directions to all District Medical and Health Officers (DM&HOs) to sensitise the public on the “alert” concerning the Coldrif cough syrup, which has been found “adulterated” with a toxic substance.
Karnataka issues safety alert
In a circular dated October 5, Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) said that in view of recent incidents where deaths have been reported in Madhya Pradesh following the consumption of Coldrif Syrup (Batch No. SR-13), manufactured by a Tamil Nadu-based pharma unit, the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department has prohibited the purchase, sale and consumption of the said batch in that state.
Further, a few deaths of children have been reported in Rajasthan due to the consumption of Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide Syrup IP, manufactured by Kaysons Pharma, Jaipur, it stated.
“All enforcement officers in the state of Karnataka are hereby instructed to keep a strict vigil on the above drugs/batch numbers and similar combinations from manufacturers. Any stockist, distributor, retailer or government institution found in possession of these products, if any, should draw samples for test and analysis, and initiate necessary action as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940,” it added.
Telangana urges public caution
Similarly, in a communication to the DM&HOs, the Telangana government's Director of Public Health directed the officials to raise public awareness about the alert issued on September 4 by the state Drugs Control Administration to stop using Coldrif syrup of Batch No. SR-13, which has been allegedly found adulterated with Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a toxic substance.
If people are in possession of the syrup, they should immediately report to the local drug control authority on its toll-free number, said the communication (dated October 5), shared with the media on Monday.
The Director of Public Health also asked DM&HOs to strictly implement and disseminate the advisory issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Union Ministry of Health, regarding the judicious prescribing and dispensing of cough syrups for children.
The DGHS, in the advisory, stated that most acute cough illnesses in children are self-limiting and often resolve without pharmacological intervention. Cough and cold medications should not be prescribed or dispensed to children under two years.
CDSCO begins quality checks
The Madhya Pradesh government has already banned the sale of Coldrif cough syrup following the death of 14 children in Chhindwara due to suspected renal failure, with officials stating the drug samples were found to contain a highly toxic substance.
Also read | Madhya Pradesh doctor who prescribed toxic cough syrup to children arrested
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has also initiated risk-based inspections at the manufacturing units of 19 drugs, including cough syrups and antibiotics, across six states, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.
A sample of the syrup, tested by the government drug analyst at the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai, was declared "Not of Standard Quality" by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control, officials said.
(With agency inputs)