Coldrif syrup deaths: Maharashtra bans cough medicine, pediatricians told not
A batch of Coldrif cough syrup, made by Sresan Pharma in Tamil Nadu, was found contaminated with a toxic chemical called diethylene glycol (DEG), leading to acute kidney failure in numerous children from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, with 14 currently hospitalized and at least 11-14 deaths reported.
Sadly, six of these kids died at GMCH-Nagpur after their illness was first mistaken for encephalitis.
Pediatricians told to avoid prescribing cough syrups to kids below 5
Recently, Maharashtra banned Coldrif syrup and advised doctors not to prescribe cough syrups to children below five years for now.
Hospitals in Nagpur and nearby districts were told to stop using it too.
Police have filed an FIR against the manufacturer and a local pediatrician under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, Nagpur's civic body is working on new guidelines for safer use of children's cough medicines.