Following reports of deaths of 11 children in Madhya Pradesh linked to a contaminated cough syrup, Uttar Pradesh’s Food Safety and Drug Administration has issued urgent state-wide guidelines to put a stop to its sale or any other cough syrup manufactured by the company in question — M/S Sresan Pharmaceutical. It also directed district drug inspectors to seize and test cough syrups. The department's Commissioner has warned that adulteration with diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent, can be fatal and ordered immediate preventive action against products manufactured by the Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceutical company. The direction cites a letter from State Licensing Authority of MP dated October 4, 2025, which reportedly found diethylene glycol contamination in COLDRIF SYRUP produced by Sresan Pharmaceutical, Kangeyam Highway, Sunguvachathram (Mathura), district Kancheepuram. District officials have been notified that “incidents of death of children due to consumption of cough syrups in some states have come to light through various news media”. Instructions include: -If the above-mentioned medicine or any other cough syrup manufactured by M/s Sresan Pharmaceutical is found being sold in establishments — both government as well as non-government hospitals — then “collect its sample, take it into custody and stop its use”. -Collect samples of cough syrups available at drug stores of both government and non government hospitals and immediately send them to the Lucknow laboratory for testing. -Collect cough syrup samples and propylene glycol being used in it from manufacturing factories located in their respective areas and send it for testing and analysis. At least 11 children have died in Chhindwara district, in Madhya Pradesh's Parasia, allegedly after they consumed contaminated cough syrup. The Indian Express had earlier reported that according to a test report from the Government Analyst at the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai, the syrup — Coldrif — was declared 'Not of Standard Quality' after analysis found it contained 48.6 percent by volume of Diethylene Glycol, a toxic industrial chemical. The report had stated that the sample was “found to be adulterated, since it contains Diethylene Glycol (48.6% w/v) which is [a] poisonous substance which may render the contents injurious to health”.
