The State Drugs Control department has issued orders stopping the sale of Coldrif cough syrup in Kerala, Health Minister Veena George said here on Saturday.
The Drugs Control department took this step following reports from outside the State that some samples from SR 13 batch of Coldrif cough syrup from Sresan Pharma’s Kanchipuram unit in Tamil Nadu contained diethylene glycol (DEG) above permissible limits.
According to the preliminary information gathered by the Drugs Control department, no stock from Batch SR 13 of Coldrif syrup has been sold in the State, the statement said. However, a total ban on the sale of the said drug was being enforced in the State as an added precautionary measure.
Coldrif cough syrup is being sold through eight distributors in Kerala and all have been alerted to stop the distribution and sale. Medical stores across the State have also been alerted to the sale ban.
The drugs control department is conducting inspections across the State. Samples of Coldrif as well as other brands of cough medicines are being collected for testing. Directions have also been issued to collect and test samples of the cough syrup that five pharma companies are manufacturing in Kerala.
Coldrif syrup is not distributed by Kerala State Medical Services Corporation Ltd., the statement said.
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had issued a directive on Friday that doctors should not prescribe cough syrup to children below two years of age. Pharmacies have been directed not to sell cough syrup even when there is a prescription.
The directive said that cough medications, if prescribed for children above five years, should be on the basis of clinical evaluation, with close supervision and strict adherence to appropriate dosing.
Published – October 04, 2025 06:28 pm IST
