The death toll linked to the contaminated Coldrif cough syrup has climbed to 15 after 1.5-year-old Dhani Dehriya from Junapani village in Tamia succumbed to kidney failure in Nagpur on Tuesday. Dhani had been receiving treatment since September 26, but both her kidneys had completely failed. She was initially treated by Dr. Praveen Soni, who had also administered the same cough syrup.
In response to the crisis, the Punjab Government has imposed an immediate ban on the sale, distribution, and use of Coldrif syrup across the state. A notice from the State Food and Drugs Administration directed that “all retailers, distributors, registered medical practitioners, hospitals, and healthcare institutions in Punjab shall not purchase, sell, or utilise the product.” Strict monitoring has also been mandated to enforce the prohibition.
Other states including Goa, Gurgaon, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra have also prohibited the syrup, while Kerala has instructed that children under 12 must not be administered any medicine without a doctor’s prescription.
Meanwhile, an investigation by Tamil Nadu’s Drug Control Department revealed alarming violations at the manufacturing facility responsible for Coldrif syrup. Over 350 breaches of safety and quality standards were discovered. Inspectors found that the syrup was being produced in unhygienic and filthy conditions, with insufficient skilled personnel, inadequate machinery, and lack of basic infrastructure required for safe drug production.
Laboratory tests detected toxic substances—propylene glycol and diethylene glycol—in the syrup. While propylene glycol is generally safe in small amounts, it becomes harmful in large quantities or with prolonged exposure. Disturbingly, the company had purchased 50 kilograms of propylene glycol without proper invoicing, a clear breach of legal norms. Experts warn that cheaper diethylene glycol, a highly toxic industrial solvent used in products like brake fluid and paint, is sometimes substituted for propylene glycol, leading to fatal consequences.
