TN revokes Sresan Pharmaceuticals' license over toxic cough syrup tragedy

Chennai, Oct 13 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has permanently revoked the manufacturing licence of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the company behind the adulterated cough syrup Coldrif, and ordered its complete shutdown following revelations that the medicine contained dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals.

In a statement, the Tamil Nadu government said: "The drug manufacturing licence of Sresan Pharmaceuticals has been completely cancelled, and the company has been shut down. Orders have also been issued to conduct a detailed inspection of all drug manufacturing units across Tamil Nadu to ensure compliance with safety and quality standards."

Officials added that the Health Department will tighten monitoring mechanisms and adopt stricter penalties for pharmaceutical firms violating public health norms.

The state Drug Control Department, during an inspection of the firm’s Kancheepuram facility, found that Coldrif syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol (DEG) — a lethal industrial solvent used in antifreeze — instead of approved pharmaceutical ingredients.

Consumption of the syrup has been linked to the death of over 20 children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, triggering outrage and nationwide scrutiny.

Officials said the company had violated over 300 critical and major norms, including the absence of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

Investigators also uncovered that the firm used non-pharma-grade solvents, ignored mandatory testing procedures, and falsified production logs.

Sresan Pharmaceuticals’ owner, G. Ranganathan, was arrested last week by a special investigation team from Madhya Pradesh probing the child deaths. His arrest followed days of raids and evidence-gathering across Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier on Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted simultaneous searches at seven locations in Chennai, including the company’s headquarters and residences of senior officials from the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Office.

The raids were part of a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to trace possible financial irregularities and diversion of funds.

The tragedy has reignited calls for nationwide reform in drug regulation and oversight, as public health experts urge stronger inter-state coordination to prevent recurrence of such preventable deaths.

--IANS

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