Overview

• Union Health Ministry said joint testing by national agencies and the MP drug regulator found no diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol in cough syrup samples from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• DGHS advised against prescribing or dispensing cough and cold medicines to children under two years and urged cautious, short-duration use only after clinical evaluation in older children.
• One patient sample tested positive for leptospirosis, and teams are analyzing water, vectors, and respiratory specimens as part of a multi-agency probe into alternative causes.
• Rajasthan’s health department said two reported child deaths were not tied to state-supplied medicines, noting the syrup was given at home without a doctor’s prescription and that the formulation involved dextromethorphan, which is not recommended for children.
• Tamil Nadu’s Drugs Control Department reported diethylene glycol adulteration in one Coldrif batch (SR-13) and ordered stop-production with a show-cause notice, creating a discrepancy with central findings that is driving further regulatory review.