The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday issued a health advisory warning about three contaminated cough syrups produced in India, urging governments worldwide to report any detection of the medicines and remove them from circulation.
According to the WHO, laboratory tests confirmed that the affected syrups — Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and ReLife from Shape Pharma — contained toxic levels of diethylene glycol, a chemical that can cause kidney failure, brain damage, and death when ingested. The contamination levels were reportedly nearly 500 times above the permissible limit.
The alert follows reports from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) that the syrups were consumed by several children under the age of five in the Chhindwara district of the central state of Madhya Pradesh. All of the children who consumed the products have since died, according to Indian health officials.
“The contaminated products pose significant risks and can cause severe, potentially life-threatening illness,” the WHO said in its statement, calling for “heightened surveillance” and international reporting of any similar cases.
India’s CDSCO said the affected batches have not been exported and there is no evidence of illegal international distribution. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also confirmed on Friday that none of the tainted syrups had entered the U.S. market.
This marks the latest in a series of global health scares linked to contaminated medicines. Over the past two years, the WHO has issued multiple alerts over substandard cough syrups manufactured in various countries after similar poisonings killed dozens of children in The Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon.
Health experts have urged Indian authorities to strengthen pharmaceutical oversight and enforce stricter quality control standards, noting that repeated incidents of toxic contamination have damaged confidence in the country’s vast generic drug industry.
The WHO said it continues to work closely with Indian regulators to trace the supply chain and prevent further distribution of the contaminated products, while urging countries to remain vigilant for counterfeit or substandard cough medicines in their markets.
