Geneva: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a global medical alert after detecting three adulterated oral liquid medicines — all cough syrups manufactured in India — that have been linked to severe illness and child fatalities. The agency has warned that the syrups contain toxic chemicals and could pose a serious threat to public health worldwide.
The affected products include Coldrif by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Respifresh TR by Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and ReLife by Shape Pharma. WHO stated that specific batches of these syrups are substandard as they failed to meet required quality standards and were found contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG) — a highly toxic substance.
India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) first alerted WHO on October 8 after laboratory analysis confirmed DEG contamination in the three medicines. The revelation came days after multiple child deaths in Madhya Pradesh, reportedly linked to consumption of Coldrif syrup. Following the incident, the Indian government issued a nationwide advisory urging states and union territories to exercise strict caution in prescribing cough syrups for children.
The Tamil Nadu-based manufacturer Sresan Pharmaceuticals, which produced Coldrif, had its manufacturing license revoked. Its owner, G. Ranganathan, has been taken into custody for investigation. WHO emphasized that DEG ingestion can be fatal, particularly for children, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, kidney failure, and death.
Authorities in India have since ordered an immediate halt to production at all implicated sites and initiated recalls of the contaminated products. CDSCO has confirmed that no exports of the affected syrups were made, and there is currently no evidence of their circulation outside India.
However, WHO has urged National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) across the globe to remain vigilant and conduct targeted market surveillance, especially in informal or unregulated supply chains. The agency also advised regulators to examine other liquid medicines manufactured by the same companies since December 2024 to rule out additional contamination risks.
WHO continues to coordinate closely with Indian health authorities to trace the source of contamination and ensure that similar incidents are prevented in the future.
