Overview

• Madhya Pradesh’s deputy chief minister confirmed 20 child deaths linked to Coldrif, with five more children in critical care in Nagpur and most cases reported from Chhindwara.
• Official drug-control tests in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh detected about 48.6% diethylene glycol in Coldrif Batch SR-13, vastly exceeding the 0.1% impurity limit.
• Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Puducherry banned the formulation and seized stocks, and Maharashtra restricted sales; Madhya Pradesh also flagged Relife and Respifresh TR for excess DEG.
• Police set up a Special Investigation Team, registered an FIR against Sresan Pharmaceuticals and moved to arrest the owner, while a prescribing pediatrician was arrested and the Indian Medical Association objected to targeting doctors.
• The WHO requested confirmation on any exports and said it will assess a global alert, while a PIL before the Supreme Court seeks a CBI-led, court‑monitored probe and nationwide drug‑safety reforms.