The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global health alert warning against three Indian-made cough syrups linked to the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh, India.
The affected syrups Coldrif, Respifresh TR, and ReLife were produced by Sresan Pharmaceutical, Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and Shape Pharma.
Tests revealed dangerously high levels of diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical that can cause kidney failure and death, especially in children.
This latest tragedy comes just two years after similar toxic cough syrups from India were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in The Gambia and Uzbekistan, prompting renewed global scrutiny of India’s pharmaceutical exports.
According to WHO, Indian authorities have suspended manufacturing licenses for all three companies and recalled contaminated products.
The agency noted that there is “no evidence of illegal export” so far but urged other countries to remain vigilant about any oral liquid drugs made by the companies since December 2024.
Health officials in Tamil Nadu, where Sresan Pharmaceutical is based, confirmed that the company’s license has been revoked.
Police also arrested its owner following reports that at least 19 children died after taking Coldrif syrup in central India.
District superintendent Ajay Pandey told reporters that the children first developed cough and cold symptoms before suffering renal failure, confirming that tests found “higher than permissible limits” of the toxic chemical DEG in the syrups.
Authorities also suspended two senior drug inspectors in Kanchipuram for negligence, while a local doctor who prescribed the syrup may face prosecution.
The WHO said the warning was issued after it detected clusters of acute illness and child deaths across India in late September.
India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) later confirmed DEG contamination in at least three cough syrups consumed by affected children.
The contamination crisis mirrors earlier cases in 2022 and 2023, when toxic Indian cough syrups were blamed for child fatalities in The Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia.
Those incidents involved Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd, leading to international condemnation and a crackdown on unsafe drug manufacturing practices in India.
Global health officials say the repeated occurrences underscore serious regulatory lapses and call for stricter oversight of the country’s generic medicine industry, which supplies much of the developing world.
The post WHO Raises Alarm Over Toxic Cough Syrup Killing Children in India first appeared on DDM.
