(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Kerala Health Department, under Minister Veena George, ordered that no medicines should be given to children under 12 without a doctor's prescription. The decision was taken amid reports of deaths among children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to contaminated cough syrups.

According to news agency PTI, George said medicines should not be dispensed even using an old prescription.

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A three-member expert panel was reportedly set up to study the use of cough medicine and formulate new guidelines.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the panel includes the state drugs controller, child health nodal officer and state unit president of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics.“Its findings will help formulate new guidelines on cough syrup use in children,” the minister said.

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The sale of the problematic batch of Coldrif syrup was immediately suspended, though officials confirmed the batch was not distributed in Kerala.

The contaminated syrup batch was reportedly distributed in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Puducherry, PTI report added.

“No problems related to cough syrup for children have been reported in Kerala,” the minister said in a statement.

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The Coldrif cough syrup is said to be behind 14 fatalities of children in Madhya Pradesh, where the government suspended three officials and transferred the drug controller.

These deaths due to suspected renal failure were reported from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh in a month, news agency PTI reported.

The cough syrup, manufactured in Tamil Nadu, was found to be dangerously adulterated with the highly poisonous substance Diethylene Glycol (DEG).

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The tragic deaths triggered a national health alert, leading to suspensions of officials in Madhya Pradesh, arrests, nationwide stock confiscations, and immediate, stringent changes to drug prescription guidelines in states like Kerala and Karnataka.

Karnataka

In Karnataka, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao sounded an alert, instructing officials to verify if the "substandard" syrup was sold in the state.

He clarified that no such incident has occurred in Karnataka, but samples of all cough syrup brands are being collected for precautionary testing.

Telangana

The Telangana government directed all District Medical and Health Officers to sensitise the public about the toxic syrup alert and strictly implement the Union Health Ministry's advisory against prescribing or dispensing cough and cold medications to children under two, and generally for ages below five years.

Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu government, where the manufacturing unit (Sresan Pharmaceutical, Kancheepuram) is located, had already banned the sale of Coldrif syrup after receiving reports of deaths in Madhya Pradesh and similar fatalities in Rajasthan .

The Tamil Nadu Drug Controller's finding that the sample was "adulterated" with Diethylene Glycol (DEG) formed the basis of the statewide bans.

Chhattisgarh

The Chhattisgarh Health Department has issued immediate directions to all Chief Medical and Health Officers (CMHO) and Civil Surgeons across districts to strictly enforce the Centre's guidelines.

The Commissioner of Health Services stated that cough and cold medications should only be administered based on a medical prescription and that no negligence will be tolerated.

Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA has appealed to the public and chemists to stop the sale or use of Coldrif syrup from the specific batch identified by the Tamil Nadu authorities as "injurious."

It also urged them to report any incidents to the nearest Drugs Control Authority.

Officials are coordinating with Tamil Nadu to trace the distribution of the affected batch.

All drug inspectors and assistant commissioners have been directed to alert retailers, wholesalers, and hospitals to immediately freeze available stock, the FDA said in a statement.

Amid concerns over the quality of cough syrups, the Union health ministry on Sunday underlined the need for all drug manufacturers to comply with the Revised Schedule M and warned that strict action would be taken against violators.

The crisis highlights a critical failure in drug quality and safety control, and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, National Centre for Disease Control, and state drug regulators have joined hands to avoid similar tragedies.

(With inputs from PTI)

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