Toxic Cough Syrup Tragedy: Pharma Company Owner Arrested After 20 Child Deaths in Madhya Pradesh
Srisan Pharmaceuticals owner held in Chennai as multiple states ban Coldrif syrup over toxic chemical contamination.
Chennai / Bhopal — In a major development following the tragic deaths of 20 children in Madhya Pradesh, police have arrested G. Ranganathan, the owner of Srisan Pharmaceuticals, from his flat in Chennai. The arrest was made on Thursday by a special seven-member team of Madhya Pradesh Police.
The deaths, believed to be caused by consumption of Coldrif cough syrup manufactured by the company, were reported mainly in the districts of Chhindwara (17 deaths), Betul (2 deaths), and Pandhurna (1 death). Officials have confirmed that five other children are currently undergoing treatment for kidney failure linked to the same medication.
This is the second arrest in the case. Earlier, a local doctor, Dr. Praveen Soni, was taken into custody — a move that drew strong criticism from the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The IMA argued that the real responsibility lies with the pharmaceutical company and the government’s failure to monitor drug safety effectively.
The crisis has not remained confined to Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, three similar child deaths prompted the state government to suspend a drug controller and halt the distribution of 19 medicines produced by Kassen Pharma, a separate company under scrutiny.
According to the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited, between 2012 and now, 10,119 samples of Kassen Pharma’s products were tested, of which 42 were found substandard. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhanwar Lal Sharma has ordered a high-level probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, investigations revealed that Coldrif syrup contained dangerously high levels of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) — a toxic industrial solvent. Even small amounts of DEG can cause acute kidney failure and death, especially in children.
In response to the findings, the Union Ministry of Health issued an advisory warning against prescribing or dispensing cough and cold syrups to children under two years of age. The advisory further states that such medications are generally unsafe for children under five, and even for older children, they should only be given under expert supervision.
As a precaution, six states — Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand — have banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif syrup and initiated their own investigations.
This incident echoes a broader international concern. Since 2022, toxic Indian-made syrups have been linked to the deaths of at least 141 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon, according to global health reports.
The tragedy has raised urgent questions about India’s pharmaceutical regulation system, calling for immediate reforms to ensure drug safety, especially for vulnerable populations like children.
