The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a health advisory on Monday regarding three contaminated cough syrups found in India, urging authorities worldwide to report any discovery of these products to the agency. According to the WHO, the affected syrups are specific batches of Coldrif by Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR by Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and ReLife by Shape Pharma. The organization warned that these contaminated medicines pose serious health risks and could lead to severe, potentially fatal illness.
India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) informed the WHO that the syrups were reportedly consumed by children under the age of five who recently died in Chhindwara district, located in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Testing revealed the cough syrups contained toxic levels of diethylene glycol—almost 500 times above the permissible limit. The CDSCO stated that none of the contaminated products have been exported from India, and there is no evidence of illegal export. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that these toxic syrups had not been shipped to the United States.
Source: Reuters
