FDA Pune Orders Crackdown on Cough Syrups Amid Child Deaths in MP and Rajasthan
FDA Pune Orders Crackdown on Cough Syrups Amid Child Deaths in MP and Rajasthan
Special inspection drive launched across five districts to prevent circulation of contaminated medicines
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Pune has initiated a region-wide inspection drive to test the quality of cough syrups after reports of child deaths and illnesses in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan linked to allegedly contaminated medicines.
The move comes amid fears of diethylene glycol contamination, suspected to have caused kidney failure in at least six children in Madhya Pradesh and multiple cases in Rajasthan, including the death of a five-year-old in Sikar and the illness of a three-year-old in Bharatpur.
FDA joint commissioner Girish Hukare, overseeing Pune, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, and Kolhapur, said the crackdown was launched proactively to safeguard children’s health. “We cannot take chances when the lives of children are involved. This inspection drive ensures no substandard or harmful cough syrup is circulating in our region,” Hukare stated.
Under the initiative, samples of cough syrups are being collected from manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers and will be tested in government-approved laboratories. Pune alone has six manufacturing units, over 8,000 distributors and wholesalers, and more than 10,000 retailers under scrutiny.
Authorities have urged parents to buy medicines only from verified sources and warned chemists not to stock products from unapproved suppliers. Doctors and retailers have been asked to stay alert to prevent circulation of unsafe syrups.
While no central government order has been issued, the FDA’s Pune region has taken independent action, vowing strict penalties for companies or distributors found guilty of selling toxic or substandard medicines. The investigations are being supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pune’s National Institute of Virology.
The health scare in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where specific cough syrups have already been banned, has put nationwide focus on drug quality checks and raised urgent questions about safety in India’s pharmaceutical supply chain.
