2 yrs after deaths in Africa, MP acts on syrup maker

RECENT DEATHS OF CHILDREN PROMPT CRACKDOWN; CASE AGAINST FIRM WHOSE SYRUP LED TO DEATHS IN CAMEROON IN 2023

- Shruti Tomar

Drug inspectors in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore filed a criminal complaint on Wednesday against city-based Reimann Labs, whose contaminated cough syrup Killed 12 children in Cameroon in 2023, but only after the Chhindwara children deaths this September-October due to a product by another company, officials said.

The complaint comes 21 months after the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the company’s Naturecold cough syrup as responsible for the Cameroon deaths and 15 months after laboratory tests in India confirmed toxic contamination levels.

In 2023, Reimann Labs’ Naturecold syrup was found to contain 28.2% diethylene glycol (DEG) versus the permissible limit of 0.1%—making it 282 times over the safe threshold. Twelve children in Cameroon died after consuming the syrup.