Overview

• Union and state drug authorities said samples of Coldrif, made by Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma, contained diethylene glycol far beyond permissible limits, with a reported 48.6% concentration.
• Madhya Pradesh police formed a Special Investigation Team, filed an FIR against Sresan Pharma, and arrested a government doctor accused of prescribing the syrup to several of the deceased children.
• Multiple states banned Coldrif and ordered seizures, while Kerala set up a committee on pediatric cough formulations and directed pharmacies to restrict sales to prescriptions.
• Madhya Pradesh additionally banned Relife and Respifresh TR syrups after detecting toxic contamination and asked Gujarat authorities to investigate the manufacturers.
• A Supreme Court petition by advocate Vishal Tiwari seeks transfer of all cases to the CBI, a court‑monitored expert or judicial commission, nationwide recall and NABL-verified testing of suspect syrups, compensation for families, and stronger national recall and pre-distribution testing protocols.