Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], October 6 : A day after Uttarakhand launched raids on medical stores across the state in the wake of children deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Additional Commissioner and Drug Controller Tajbar Singh Jaggi appealed people not to purchase any medicines without a doctor's prescription.
At least 14 deaths have been reported due to the alleged consumption of a cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara so far, while eight children have been admitted to a hospital, according to an official.
"We're checking not just cough syrups, but other medicines as well. We're ensuring that no medicines harmful to children are circulating in the state. Quick response teams are visiting various locations to collect samples. We're also appealing to the public not to purchase any medicines without a doctor's prescription. CCTV cameras have been installed at medical stores. If medicines are sold without a doctor's prescription, action will be taken...," Jaggi told ANI.
Following this, several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Kerala, have issued advisories and banned the Coldrif cough syrup.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also announced that the state government has banned the cough syrup linked to the deaths of several children.
The UP government banned the sale of Coldrif Cough Syrup to prevent further harm, and an advisory has been issued urging people not to consume this type of cough syrup.
"It is very sad that many children have lost their lives after consuming cough syrup. Our government has never bought such cough syrup. We have also issued an advisory urging the people of the state not to consume this type of cough syrup. We have banned the cough syrup in the state," Brajesh Pathak told ANI.
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced a complete ban on the sale of 'Coldrif' cough syrup across the state.
"The deaths of children in Chhindwara due to 'Coldrif syrup' are extremely tragic. The sale of this syrup has been banned across Madhya Pradesh. The sale of other products manufactured by the same company is also being banned," the CM said in a post on X.
The ban comes after the Health Ministry confirmed that the syrup, Coldrif Cough Syrup manufactured by Sresan Pharma in Tamil Nadu, contained diethylene glycol (DEG) beyond permissible limits. DEG is a toxic substance used in industrial solvents that can be fatal if ingested even in small amounts.