The Delhi Drugs Control Department has issued a public advisory banning the sale and use of Coldrif Syrup after it was found to be harmful to health.
In a notice dated October 10, the department stated that a government analysis conducted earlier this month declared Coldrif Syrup as “Not of Standard Quality.” The drug has been reported to be adulterated with Diethylene Glycol, a toxic substance that makes it unsafe for consumption.
“As a precautionary measure, all the stakeholders are directed to refrain from dealing in above cough syrup with immediate effect and not to indulge in purchase, sales and distribution of this cough syrup. General public is also hereby, sensitised to abstain from using this cough syrup,” the statement said.
“We have issued the same advisory as the Government of India. In the past six months, we have not awarded a single tender to that company. All government and private hospitals, as well as chemist shops, have been instructed not to prescribe or dispense this medicine,” Delhi’s Health Minister, Pankaj Singh told the news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the cough syrup death case, Health Minister, Pankaj Singh says, "We have also issued the same advisory as the Government of India… Over the past six months, we have not given a single tender to that company. Instructions have been given to all the government… pic.twitter.com/ldVIR3oa9S
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2025
‘No consignment of Coldrif syrup reached Delhi,’ says Drug Control Department
Additionally, officials from the Delhi Drug Control Department have confirmed that the Coldrif cough syrup was never distributed in Delhi, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
“A thorough review of the supply chain shows that no consignment of Coldrif cough syrup reached Delhi. Still, as a precaution, we have collected samples of various cough syrups from across the city for laboratory testing,” the outlet reported, quoting a senior official from the Delhi Drug Control Department.
The department has gathered 30 samples from chemist shops and wholesalers in different parts of Delhi to test for Diethylene Glycol (DEG) contamination and traces of heavy metals. These samples have been sent to a government laboratory for detailed analysis.
Other states that banned Coldrif Syrup
Delhi is not the only state taking action. On October 7, Punjab banned the sale, distribution, and use of Coldrif Syrup, following the deaths of 20 children in Madhya Pradesh due to alleged contamination of the medicine. Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla also confirmed that four more children are currently undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued a directive to all states and Union Territories, instructing strict adherence to the Drugs Rules, 1945, for testing both raw materials and finished pharmaceutical products, ANI reported.
On Friday, the Chhindwara court sent Ranganathan Govindan, owner of Tamil Nadu-based Srisen Pharma, to 10 days of police custody in connection with the cough syrup Coldriff case. Additional District Magistrate Dhirendra Singh Netri stated that so far, 22 children have died due to this ‘contaminated’ Coldrif syrup.