Cough syrup row: Plant sealed, MP SIT visits pharma unit, office

Chennai/Kancheepuram, Oct 8 (PTI) A pharma unit producing a now banned cough syrup allegedly linked to the death of children in Madhya Pradesh is in the dock with the plant being sealed by the Tamil Nadu government and a police team from MP visiting the facility as part of its probe into the fatalities.

After issuing a second show cause notice, the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday warned of initiating criminal action against the Chennai-based firm. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Madhya Pradesh Police visited the company's registered office here as well as its manufacturing unit in Kancheepuram as part of its probe into the deaths of children.

On October 7, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla had said that a total of 20 children from the state have died so far while undergoing treatment for kidney failure after consuming a contaminated cough syrup. The city-based company is accused of making the drug.

"Yes. The factory has been sealed on Tuesday evening," a government official told PTI on Wednesday.

The Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration department on October 4 declared that the samples of cough syrups collected from the manufacturing facility to be "adulterated" and an official had told PTI that the company has been instructed to "halt production" immediately.

The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sales of cough syrup 'Coldrif' with effect from October 1 and ordered removal of stocks of the medicine from the market. States including Kerala and Madhya Pradesh have also banned it.

Meanwhile, the seven member SIT led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police from Madhya Pradesh formed to look into the deaths of children from allegedly consuming the cough syrup conducted probe.

The SIT later visited the company's registered address in the city and collected relevant details as part of the inspection, they said.

"We arrived here last night. We are conducting the probe. He (owner of the drug company) had left the premises three days ago. We are collecting details based on the CCTV footage (available at the registered office)," an official part of the SIT told PTI.

The team is being assisted by the Tamil Nadu police locally.

On October 5, the Madhya Pradesh police formed the SIT to probe the death of the children in Chhindwara district due to suspected renal failure, linked to the consumption of the 'toxic' cough syrup.

The Chennai-based pharmaceutical company has been supplying the cough syrup 'Coldrif' to Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, besides some other states.

The Tamil Nadu government said it will take criminal action against the drug manufacturer.

The government has issued its second notice against the drug manufacturer for the alleged presence of diethylene glycol in the cough syrup Coldrif, asking why criminal action should not be taken, state health and family welfare minister Ma Subramanian informed.

The company has been making the cough syrup which contained 48.6 per cent of the 'poisonous substance' as per the findings of the State Drug Control department, he added.

"On October 3, the samples collected by the drug controller declared the syrups to be adulterated. We have issued stop production order to the company. We have also asked the company why it should not be shut and asked for an explanation," he said.

Maintaining that the government is expecting a response from the company for the notice it has sent, Subramanian said, "Whatever be their explanation, we will take action as per the law. The government is taking all measures to ensure the closure of the firm." Subramanian said, on October 7, through Drug Inspector another show cause notice was issued against the company asking why criminal action should not be taken.

"We will take criminal action against them," he told reporters in Tirunelveli.

The company has been manufacturing the syrup for the last 14 years since obtaining license at its facility in Sunguvarchatram in neighbouring Kancheepuram district.

It has been supplying the medicines to various States, Subramanian said, adding, the government issued an advisory to Puducherry and Odisha that the cough syrup Coldrif should not be sold in the market.

The pharmaceutical company that manufactures the syrup has not responded to the matter so far. PTI VIJ SA