NEW DELHI: A blanket ban on the sale, distribution and storage of Coldrif cough syrup is likely to be imposed in the national capital after the syrup was linked to the deaths of at least 20 children in Madhya Pradesh. The Delhi Drug Control Department (DDC) has directed all pharmaceutical stockists to submit detailed inventories of Coldrif and other cough syrups with similar chemical compositions.
Officials said manufacturers and retailers have also been ordered to furnish records to the respective drug inspectors as part of an ongoing crackdown on potentially toxic cough syrups. “We have initiated a special survey to trace the supply chain, including wholesalers and retailers selling these syrups,” an official from the DDC said.
More than 20 teams comprising drug inspectors, local administration and police personnel have been deployed across the city to inspect drug stores and seize suspicious consignments. The teams have been instructed to submit a detailed report to the Delhi Health Minister and Chief Secretary within the next few days.
The investigation follows alarming findings in the initial probe conducted by Madhya Pradesh authorities, which revealed that Coldrif contained dangerously high levels of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) — an industrial solvent commonly used in antifreeze and brake fluids. DEG, when ingested, can cause acute kidney failure, neurological damage and even death. The permissible limit of DEG in pharmaceutical products is 0.1 per cent, whereas the Coldrif contained 46.28 per cent.
Meanwhile, testing for DEG has now been made mandatory for all cough syrup manufacturers operating in Delhi.
According to officials, the government is expected to take a final decision on the blanket ban once the inspection and testing reports are submitted
About 11 pharmaceutical companies in Delhi are engaged in the manufacture of Coldrif and similar formulations, officials said. Rough estimates suggest that between 6,000 and 7,000 bottles of 100 ml cough syrup were being sold daily in the city, typically priced between Rs 50 and Rs 60. These syrups are in steady demand among people suffering from common cough and cold symptoms.
Authorities believe more than one lakh bottles of these syrups are currently in circulation or storage in the city.