The deaths of 14 children in Madhya Pradesh linked to the toxic cough syrup Coldrif have once again exposed a disturbing pattern in India’s pharmaceutical safety regime. It is not the first time that a contaminated medicine has slipped through the cracks, and unless urgent corrective steps are taken, it won’t be the last. The tragedy must serve as a wake-up call for every state and Union Territory, including Jammu and Kashmir, to act before such poison reaches our shelves.

Laboratory tests have found that Coldrif, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, contained 48.6% diethylene glycol (DEG), nearly 480 times the permissible limit. DEG is not a harmless impurity; it is an industrial solvent used in brake fluid and antifreeze. Even tiny doses can cause irreversible kidney fa

See Full Page