Toxic Syrup

Drug adulteration is a major scourge in India where an unholy nexus of the all-powerful pharma industry and unscrupulous doctors, who are incentivised to prescribe medicines of specific brands, has been playing havoc with the lives of common people in the absence of little to no regulatory scrutiny.

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Within few weeks, at least 14 children in Madhya Pradesh and two in Rajasthan have died of renal failure allegedly after the consumption of a particular brand of cough syrup. Investigations by Central and state drug regulators have revealed that the cough syrup ‘Coldrif’ contained chemicals such as diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic industrial solvent used in antifreeze and brake fluids. DEG is highly toxic if ingested even in small amounts and has been known to cause kidney failure and death, especially in children. Shockingly, laboratory tests conducted by the Tamil Nadu Food and Drugs Administration revealed that Coldrif contained a whopping 48.6 per cent DEG. Three states - Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala - have banned the cough syrup, while Telangana has issued a public alert on the product.