At least five batches of syrups for cough and allergic rhinitis of two Indian manufacturers — one Gujarat-based and one Tamil Nadu-based — have been found to contain higher than permissible levels of contaminants — diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, as per a recent report released by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
Previously the World Health Organisation (WHO) too had issued alerts on contamination in cold-cough syrups exported by India and said these two contaminants were found in the drug.
Contamination was found among 48 samples which were declared “not of standard quality” and “spurious” by the CDSCO of the total 1,166 samples of drugs that were tested in August.
Samples from a batch of cough syrup and one batch of anti-allergy syrup manufactured by the Gujarat-based manufacturer were found to be not of standard quality containing 0.118% ethylene glycol and 0.171% ethylene glycol and 0.243% diethylene glycol, respectively.
The Gujarat firm was asked to suspend production at its Ankleshwar plant a month ago, an official said.
Samples from three batches of COLD OUT syrup having Paracetamol, Phenylephrine, and Chlorpheniramine and used for relieving nasal congestion, runny nose and fever etc manufactured by the Tamil Nadu-based company was also found to have both the contaminants — ethylene glycol 1.9% and diethylene glycol 0.14%.
Meanwhile, the WHO had alerted about contamination in a batch of COLD OUT cough syrup supplied in Iraq, manufactured by the same company.
