"Most of them were given Coldrif syrup, following which they suffered from urine retention and acute kidney disorder."
Punjab Government Bans sale, distribution, and use of Coldrif Syrup After Children DeathsThe Food & Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), Punjab Government has banned the sale, distribution, and utilization of Coldrif syrup in the state with immediate effect after it was declared ‘Not of Standard Quality’.
Coldrif syrup (Paracetamol, Phenylephrine Hydrochloride, Chlorpheniramine Maleate Syrup, batch number: SR-13) has been declared as Not of Standard Quality by the Government Analyst, Drugs Testing Laboratory, Food & Drugs Administration, Madhya Pradesh, vide test report No. 68N dated 4-10-2025.
The batch was manufactured in May 2025, with an expiry date of April 2027. The drug was manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, No: 787, Bangalore Highways, Sunguvarchatram (Mathura), Kancheepuram District, 612106, Tamil Nadu.
The Coldrif syrup drug formulation is reported to be adulterated, as it contains diethylene glycol (46.28% w/v), which makes the drug formulation injurious to health, the Food & Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), Punjab said in a notice.
“Considering the seriousness of the matter, as the said product (Coldrif syrup) has been observed to be linked to the recent deaths of children in the Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, the above-mentioned product is hereby completely prohibited for sale, distribution, and utilization in the State of Punjab with immediate effect in public interest,” the notice read.
“All Retailers, Distributors, Registered Medical Practitioners & Hospitals / Health Care Institutions etc. in Punjab shall not purchase, sell, or utilize the said product. If any stock of the said product is found / available in the State, the information may be provided at email drugscontrol.fda@punjab.gov.in
of Food and Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), Punjab,” it added.
According to Reuters, at least 14 children died after consuming the toxic cough syrup, and most of the children were under the age of five and died of kidney failure in the past month.
It added that the cough syrup branded Coldrif syrup contained the toxin diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, according to a police complaint seen by Reuters.
The report further stated that diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol toxins were found in Indian-made cough syrups that have killed at least 141 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon since 2022, and another 12 children in India in 2019.
"All the children had early symptoms of common cold, flu or fever, and most were under the age of five years," the police complaint filed on Sunday in the central state of Madhya Pradesh is quoted in the Reuters report.
It added, "Most of them were given Coldrif syrup, following which they suffered from urine retention and acute kidney disorder."
According to the World Health Organization cited in the report, diethylene glycol is used in products from anti-freeze to cosmetics and lubricants, and it causes vomiting and abdominal pain to acute kidney injury, which can cause death.
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