Srinagar: The crisis over the Coldrif cough syrup deepened on Tuesday as Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh joined a growing list of states banning the medicine following the deaths of at least 14 children in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly linked to its consumption.
The Punjab Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Monday prohibited the sale and use of Coldrif syrup after it was declared “not of standard quality” by the Madhya Pradesh drugs testing laboratory. Similar restrictions have already been imposed by Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the Drugs Control Administration issued an advisory on Wednesday banning the sale, distribution, and stocking of Coldrif syrup, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical.
The deaths in Chhindwara and Betul districts of Madhya Pradesh have prompted a wave of concern over drug safety mechanisms in India. The state government has pledged to bear the entire cost of treatment for children who developed kidney infections after consuming the contaminated cough syrup.
Union Health Ministry has advised that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed or dispensed to children below two years.
In an advisory, the Ministry said, these are generally not recommended for children below five years, and above that, any use should follow careful clinical evaluation with close supervision.
The report said at least 14 children had kidney problems after taking the syrup, indicating the death toll could rise. It is already one of the worst such recorded cough syrup poisoning in India.
