S. Ranganathan, the 73-year-old owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals based in Tamil Nadu, was arrested in Chennai by a special team from the Madhya Pradesh Police. The arrest came in connection with the tragic deaths of at least 21 children in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in the Chhindwara district, and Rajasthan, linked to the consumption of the company’s cough syrup, Coldrif.
Chhindwara Superintendent of Police Ajay Pandey said that Ranganathan would be produced before a Chennai court today and then taken to Chhindwara once a transit remand is obtained.
The Union Health Ministry confirmed that Coldrif contained diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical commonly used in industrial solvents. Even a small amount of DEG can be deadly. The children developed kidney infections after taking Coldrif.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the Coldrif syrup was severely adulterated, containing a lethal amount of the industrial chemical diethylene glycol (DEG). The toxic substance, commonly used in antifreeze, was found at a concentration of 48.6%, which is over 480 times the maximum permissible limit. Ingesting DEG leads to acute kidney failure, the cause of death for the young victims, most of whom were under five years old.
Ranganathan, a pharmacy graduate who had been a veteran in the Tamil Nadu pharmaceutical industry for over four decades, is now at the center of a national scandal. His company’s manufacturing unit in Kancheepuram has been sealed after a damning inspection by the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department uncovered a staggering 364 violations. These violations included the use of non-pharmaceutical grade chemicals, rusted and leaking equipment, and a complete lack of hygienic and quality control measures.
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