'Prescribed Coldrif Syrup For 15 Years, Didn't Know It Was Toxic,' Says Doctor Arrested For MP Children Deaths
Over the past 24 hours, the cough syrup deaths, has led to nationwide action over Coldrif cough syrup, which was manufactured by Sresan Pharma in Tamil Nadu.
Dr Praveen Soni, a government pediatrician from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, has been arrested for alleged negligence after the deaths of several children were linked to contaminated Coldrif cough syrup.
While defending himself ahead of the arrest, Soni insisted he could not have imagined the medicine was toxic, stressing that he had prescribed it for nearly 15 years without incident.
The Madhya Pradesh Police filed a criminal case against a government paediatrician and the directors of a Tamil Nadu-based pharmaceutical company after at least 14 children died in Chhindwara district’s Parasia, allegedly after they consumed contaminated Coldrif cough syrup.
Lab tests ordered by the Madhya Pradesh government confirmed that the syrup contained 48.6% Diethylene Glycol, a highly toxic chemical, according to PTI.
Ahead of his arrest, Soni defended his conduct, stressing that he had prescribed the medicine for years without incident. "It was a mixed pattern; there were multiple causes, which I thought went from viral infections to high-grade fevers, which caused kidney damage. One could not imagine that the drugs would be toxic. Why would anyone prescribe it (if it is known it was toxic)?" he told The Indian Express.
He further questioned the narrative that all patients were given the same medication. "Have all the patients been prescribed the same medication? It is wrong to say that. An anti-cold syrup and other medications are provided for seasonal cold. It is difficult to say how many syrups I have prescribed to patients, but I have been prescribing this cough syrup for the past 15 years."
Soni also pointed out that he was not the only doctor to prescribe Coldrif, noting that the syrup had long been in use.
Over the past 24 hours, the cough syrup deaths, which were reported over a period of two weeks, has led to nationwide action over Coldrif cough syrup, which was manufactured by Sresan Pharma in Tamil Nadu.
Following the deaths, the Madhya Pradesh government immediately suspended sales and distribution of Coldrif Syrup. A test report from the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai described the product as “adulterated” and containing a poisonous substance “injurious to health.”
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered Soni’s suspension, while Commissioner of Public Health and Medical Education Tarun Rathi cited “serious negligence in treating infants during private practice and failure to discharge official duties with full integrity.”
The FIR, lodged at Parasia police station, named Soni along with the company’s directors. They have been booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 276 (adulteration of drugs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as section 27(A) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
The Madhya Pradesh police has formed a special investigation team to probe the deaths of 14 children in Chhindwara due to suspected renal failure, linked to the consumption of a “toxic” cough syrup.
(With inputs from PTI)
