Coldrif Tragedy: J&K Must Act

The recent tragedy surrounding Coldrif cough syrup has once again drawn national attention to the dangers posed by spurious and substandard medicines in India.

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Following the deaths of at least 14 children in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly linked to the consumption of the syrup manufactured by Shreesan Pharmaceutical, multiple states—including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Arunachal Pradesh—have moved swiftly to ban its sale and use. The Uttar Pradesh government, for instance, not only prohibited the medicine but also ordered investigations, with the Food Safety and Drug Administration conducting raids on medical stores. Similarly, Punjab had earlier banned Coldrif after the Madhya Pradesh Drugs Testing Laboratory declared it “not of standard quality.” States such as Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand had already imposed restrictions.

The deaths in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara and Betul districts have raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of India’s drug safety mechanisms. This crisis casts a long shadow over Jammu & Kashmir, where weaknesses in pharmaceutical oversight and public health practices could amplify the risks posed by toxic medicines like Coldrif.