Rajasthan cough syrup deaths: All 19 medicines of pharma firm suspended, 3 officials removed

Jaipur: Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar on Saturday confirmed that all 19 medicines supplied by Kaysan Pharma, Jaipur, have been suspended following reports of adverse effects linked to Dextromethorphan HBr Syrup in Bharatpur and Sikar.

Two health officials — Dr Palak Koolwal (PHC Hathideh) and Pharmacist Pappu Soni — have been suspended for negligence, while State Drug Controller Rajaram Sharma has also been suspended for lapses in monitoring.

On September 28, 2025, complaints were received from Bharatpur regarding batch number KL-25/147 of Dextromethorphan Syrup. The next day, a similar complaint came from Sikar regarding batch KL-25/148.

“Patients reported vomiting, dizziness, fainting, and drowsiness after consuming the syrup. The Health Department immediately banned these batches and sent statutory samples to the State Drug Testing Laboratory,” the minister said.

Addressing media reports linking the cough syrup to three child deaths, the minister clarified that Nityansh Sharma (4), Sikar, died on September 29, 2025, with no evidence of dextromethorphan being prescribed. “Samrat, Bharatpur, died on September 22, 2025, of acute respiratory distress, and there was no record of syrup consumption. Tirthraj, Bharatpur, died on September 27 2025, of acute encephalitis with no record of syrup use. These cases are still under investigation, but so far there is no confirmation that government doctors prescribed the drug,” Khinvsar said.

Fresh advisories from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) warn that dextromethorphan should not be given to children under 2 years and should generally be prescribed only for those above 5 years. Rajasthan has instructed all doctors to strictly follow these guidelines, he added.

The Health Minister shared updates on children who fell ill after suspected syrup use. “Gagan, son of Satishchand, Bharatpur, fell sick after consuming his father’s medication, but has now recovered. Kittu (3) and Tinku, sons of Pratap Singh, Sikar, confirmed to have consumed dextromethorphan; both recovered. Khinvsar further stated: “Today, reports from the Drug Testing Lab for six samples of Kaysan Pharma’s dextromethorphan batches have been received. All were found to be of standard quality. So far, 1.33 lakh doses from these batches have been distributed, and no adverse complaints have been reported elsewhere.”

The minister revealed that since 2012, 10,119 samples from Kaysan Pharma had been tested, of which 42 failed quality checks.

Significantly, 39 samples of a single drug failed during COVID-19, while three more failed in recent months. “In view of these repeated failures, we have suspended all 19 medicines of Kaysan Pharma as a precautionary measure,” Khinvsar stated.

He reassured the public that the Chief Minister’s Free Medicine Scheme continues to maintain a multi-level quality control system, and the government remains committed to taking all necessary steps to protect public health.

IANS