The death toll of kids dying due to the intoxicated cough syrup Coldrif has reached 22 in Madhya Pradesh after two more kids died on Wednesday night while undergoing treatment in Nagpur.
Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceutical company Sresan Pharmaceuticals is being linked to the death cases after the drug authorities of both Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu found the presence of 45% diethylene glycol in the syrup.
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, made a statement saying that the authorities in Tamil Nadu were not cooperating the way they should. He also demanded that the state investigate the lapses made by the company. The situation in Chinndwara has become more critical as two children in Parasia block are suspected to have died due to renal failure.
Additional collector Dhirendra Singh said that the exact cause of death is being confirmed, but there are high chances that it is due to the earlier infection caused by Coldrif. Out of the 22 victims, 19 were confirmed from Chinndwara, two from Betul, and one from Pandhurna district.
CM Yadav visited the victims in Nagpur and questioned the process of licensing of the manufacturing company in Tamil Nadu. He also pointed out that there were problems during the manufacturing process. He asked the Tamil Nadu government as to how the company was granted the licence and even allowed to function in a small space. Further questions, like what made the government renew its licence, were also thrown at the authorities.
The Superintendent of Police of Chinndwara, Ajay Pandey, told The Hindu that the proprietor of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, G Ranganathan, was arrested at his house in Chennai. The SP also informed that documents related to the company and its plant were seized, and investigations are ongoing.
As the cases of death related to coldrif increase, it shows the seriousness of the case and the importance of regulations in the pharmaceutical sector.
