To uphold the safety of the population, the government of Jharkhand has banned the sale, purchase and use of three cough syrups immediately, namely Coldrif, Respifresh TR and Relife. This was decided after other states, especially Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, reported that these syrups were associated with the death of several children as a result of toxic contamination.
This ban is after shocking results that some quantities of these syrups contained toxic levels of diethylene glycol (DEG), a very toxic chemical with the potential of causing kidney and liver failure. Not every syrup was directly connected with causing death; however, tests proved that they were more than hazardous, which provided preventive measures that would protect children and other potential victims.
Health Minister of Jharkhand, Dr Irfan Ansari, stressed that this step was made in the interest of the population’s health. All district drug controllers and inspectors have been ordered by authorities to stop the sale and distribution of the identified syrups in the near future. There is also an instruction to the medical stores and pharmaceutical distributors to deliver any stocks to be inspected and lab tested. Medical supplies that are found to be harmful and of bad quality should be confiscated and destroyed in order to minimize the chances of danger.
The government has advised the pharmacies, distributors and other relevant stakeholders too that legal measures will be taken against any person found to violate the ban. This is selling or selling the prohibited cough syrups in any form. The directive also encourages doctors and pharmacists to be cautious when prescribing or dispensing cough medicines, especially to children, to eliminate any possible health risks.
The move of Jharkhand is consistent with a larger trend of precautionary steps implemented by other states of India towards this crisis. Some states have limited or prohibited the sale of the syrups in question, and the government at the national level is inspecting manufacturing plants to make sure they observe the highest quality standards and avoid violating any safety regulations.
The prohibition of Coldrif, Respifresh TR, and Relife in Jharkhand is a sign of the active attitude of the state to save human health and avoid new tragedies. The citizens are warned not to take any cough syrups without a doctor’s directions and to find safe substitutes under the supervision of a doctor. The episode highlights how vital quality control can be within the pharmaceutical sector and acts as a lesson on what the failure of drug safety may lead to.
