Indian states ban cough syrup linked to child deaths

New Delhi: At least three Indian states have banned cough syrup after several children allegedly died after consuming the product, said local authorit...

New Delhi: At least three Indian states have banned cough syrup after several children allegedly died after consuming the product, said local authorities and reports.

The death of at least nine children, all aged under five, since late August, in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been linked to a cough medicine they were prescribed.

India's health ministry Saturday said laboratory tests on samples of the syrup the children had consumed revealed it was contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic substance used in industrial solvents that can be fatal if ingested even in small amounts.

“The samples are found to contain DEG beyond the permissible limit,” the ministry said in a statement.

The product sold under the brand name Coldrif Cough Syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharma at a unit in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.