Cough syrup deaths: Two senior drug inspectors in Tamil Nadu suspended, says Health Minister Ma. Subramanian

Two senior drug inspectors in Tamil Nadu have been suspended for failing to conduct quality checks on drugs manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals over the past two years, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Thursday (October 9, 2025).

Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Coldrif cough syrup linked to the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh, has come under scrutiny after samples from batch number SR-13 were found to be contaminated.

The samples, collected from the company’s manufacturing unit at Sunguvarchathiram in Kancheepuram district and tested at the Government Drugs Testing Laboratory in Chennai, were declared “not of standard quality” and found to be adulterated with Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a toxic substance harmful to health.

The Minister stated that the State’s Drugs Control Department launched an inspection immediately after receiving information from its Madhya Pradesh counterpart on October 1. Once testing confirmed the contamination, both Madhya Pradesh authorities and the Union Health Ministry were promptly informed. Additionally, officials in Odisha and Puducherry were alerted based on the distribution records.

Arrest

“While Madhya Pradesh and the Union Health Ministry initially found no issues with the syrup, it was Tamil Nadu that detected the presence of DEG and confirmed the extent of contamination. Based on these findings, we immediately issued a Stop Production Order to the manufacturer on October 3. A closure order was also issued,” he said.

On October 7, a notice to initiate criminal proceedings was issued to the owner of the manufacturing facility. “As he was unavailable to receive it, the notice was displayed at the premises. He was arrested,” the Minister said. “He will be taken to the manufacturing site by a tahsildar for an inquiry to determine how the contamination occurred. He will be asked to provide an explanation. Based on that, a decision on permanent closure of the facility and cancellation of its licence will be made in three days,” he told reporters.

Action for negligence

Stating that two senior drug inspectors have been placed under suspension for failing to carry out quality checks and monitoring at the facility over the past two years, he emphasised: “It was Tamil Nadu that detected the contamination and alerted other States. Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation does not procure this syrup, and following this incident, we have also halted its retail sales. The swift action taken by Tamil Nadu has helped prevent untoward incidents in many other States.”