The state regulatory body has issued a stop-production order, and the company's license has been suspended.
Owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Maker of Coldrif Cough Syrup, Arrested: Latest News: The owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Coldrif cough syrup, has been arrested after the deaths of at least 21 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The children died after consuming the syrup, which was found to contain large quantities of the toxic industrial chemical diethylene glycol, India Today reported.
According to police cited in the report, the owner, Ranganathan, was arrested in Chennai last night. He will be taken to Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district after securing a transit remand.
The arrest reportedly happened shortly after he was detained for questioning by police in Madhya Pradesh, where most of the deaths have been reported.
According to the initial investigation, the cough syrup was also supplied to Odisha and Puducherry, apart from Madhya Pradesh.
The Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department, in a 26-page report, revealed the unhygienic conditions under which the cough syrup was manufactured at the pharmaceutical factory in Kanceepura. The department flagged 350 violations, including rusted equipment and the illegal use of non-pharma-grade chemicals, the India Today report said.
Inspections by the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department found that about 48% of the industrial liquid had been added, even though the permissible limit was only 0.1%, it noted.
The state regulatory body has issued a stop-production order, and the company’s license has been suspended.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had already requested the cancellation of the drug’s manufacturing license after the toxic chemical was found in Coldrif, the India Today report said, citing sources in the Union Health Ministry.
Officials in the ministry told India Today that the responsibility for ensuring regulatory compliance at manufacturing units lies with the State Drug Controllers.
The License to Manufacture Common Formulation Allopathic Drugs is issued and governed by the respective State Drug Controllers, the report added.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramaniam, on Thursday, told ANI that the license will be permanently cancelled soon.
The Health Minister said, "The particular pharma company license will be permanently cancelled in a couple of days. It is now temporarily suspended.. After further investigation and inspection, the pharmaceutical company's license will be permanently cancelled."
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