Cough syrup case: TN issues memo to pharma asking why their drug license shouldn’t be cancelled entirely
The notice was preceded by a “stop production” order issued by the government to the pharmaceutical company on October 3.
The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday issued a notice to pharmaceutical company, Sresan, in Kancheepuram district asking why their drug license should not be completely cancelled after samples of a cough syrup (Coldrif) they manufactured showed high concentration of toxic chemicals and is believed to have led to the deaths of 11 children in Madhya Pradesh.
Tamil Nadu and several other states on October 4 banned the drug after it was found to be contaminated. The notice was preceded by a “stop production” order issued by the government to the pharmaceutical company on October 3. The company was closed. “As a follow-up action, a memo has been issued asking for an explanation as to why the drug licenses of Sresan Pharmaceuticals should not be completely canceled,” said Tamil Nadu health minister M Subramanian.
A team from Tamil Nadu’s Food Safety and Drug Administration department had conducted an inspection at the pharmaceutical company’s facility last week and collected samples for testing. The results were announced on Saturday
The health minister said that on October 1 at 3.30 pm, an urgent letter was sent from the Madhya Pradesh State Drug Control Department to the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department suspecting that a drug Coldrif is related to the death of children in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. The batch was Coldrif Syrup and was manufactured in May 2025 with an expiry date of April 2027. Madhya Pradesh had requested TN to take action against the manufacturer Sresan.
“On the same day around 4.00 pm, a team headed by senior officials rushed to inspect Sresan Pharmaceuticals,” the health minister said, adding that the inspections continued until October 2. “Violations under the Drugs Rules, 1945 were found and 5 drugs including the drug Coldrif Syrup Batch No: SR-13 were taken for urgent analysis and sent to the Government Drugs Analysis Room in Chennai. The results of the analysis revealed that Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a biocidal toxic chemical, was found to be present in Coldrif Syrup at a concentration of 48.6 percent (the permissible limit is just 0.1%).”
The government on October 1 banned the drug in the state and also informed states where this drug has been distributed to from Tamil Nadu to ban it so that no more lives are lost.
