WHO issues warning over contaminated cough syrup in India after multiple child deaths
By Karina Tsui, Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN
New Delhi (CNN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday issued a health advisory warning against the use and distribution of three cough syrups believed to be responsible for the deaths of several children in India over the last month.
The drugs were identified as specific batches of Coldrif, Respifresh TR and ReLife, the WHO said in a statement, manufactured by three Indian companies: Sresan Pharmaceutical, Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and Shape Pharma.
The oral liquid drugs were found to contain higher levels of diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic ingredient that can lead to serious injury or death, especially in children, according to the agency.
This is not the first time dangerous levels of toxic chemicals have been detected in cough medicines manufactured in India, the world’s largest generic drug exporter. In 2023, exported cough syrups were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Uzbekistan and The Gambia.
Indian state authorities have ordered an immediate halt to drug production at the three manufacturers and have suspended product authorizations, the WHO said in its statement. Contaminated products have also been recalled and have not been exported from India.
“There is currently no evidence of illegal export,” the WHO said, urging global regulatory bodies to pay attention to unregulated supply chains and other oral liquid medications manufactured by the three companies since December 2024.
CNN has reached out to Sresan Pharmaceutical, Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and Shape Pharma for comment.
Authorities in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where Sresan Pharmaceuticals is headquartered, said Monday that they suspended the manufacturer’s license and shut down the company after an investigation found that at least 19 children in the central state of Madhya Pradesh died from consuming Coldrif syrup, according to Reuters news agency.
“In the beginning they had a cough and cold, and then renal failure symptoms leading to deaths,” Ajau Pandey, superintendent for the Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh said at a news conference on October 5.
A subsequent investigation identified “higher than permissible limits” of DEG as the reason behind the deaths, Pandey added.
Police in Tamil Nadu arrested the owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals last week, while two senior drug inspectors from the city of Kanchipuram also had their licenses revoked and are expected to face disciplinary action over failing to conduct mandatory inspections of sites, the state government said on Monday.
Superintendent Pandey said that a case is also being built against a Tamil Nadu-based doctor who prescribed the medication.
The WHO’s warning comes after the agency identified local clusters of acute illness and child deaths across India in late September. Days later, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization told the WHO that DEG was found in at least three cough syrups consumed by affected children.
In 2022, Indian health authorities suspended the production of cough syrups from Maiden Pharmaceuticals after several brands of oral liquid medicines were found to have “unacceptable amounts” of chemicals that can damage the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys of those who take them.
Health officials believed the medicines to be linked to the deaths of more than 60 children in the Gambia, and potentially more than 20 children in Indonesia.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
