Why DEG is dangerous
Propylene glycol and glycerine are legitimate sweet, viscous solvents used in syrups. Diethylene glycol looks and behaves like them but is toxic: it causes acute kidney injury and death, especially in children. Contamination happens when a manufacturer buys industrial-grade solvent, or a supplier substitutes it, and the batch is released without the identity test the pharmacopoeia requires.
Timeline
October 2022: The Gambia. WHO Alert N°6/2022 names four paediatric syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Haryana, after the deaths of some 70 children. Haryana suspends the licence; Indian government testing later reports the samples compliant, which WHO disputes.
January 2023: Uzbekistan. WHO Alert N°1/2023 names Ambronol and DOK-1 Max made by Marion Biotech, Noida, after 18 child deaths. Uttar Pradesh cancels the licence in March 2023 and arrests follow.
April: August 2023: Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Cameroon, Iraq. Three further WHO alerts name Indian-made syrups: Guaifenesin Syrup TG (QP Pharmachem, Punjab), Naturcold (traced by the Indian government to Riemann Labs, Indore) and Cold Out (Fourrts, Chennai). In June 2023 the government makes export of cough syrups conditional on testing at a government laboratory.
October 2025: Madhya Pradesh. Children in Chhindwara district develop acute kidney injury after taking Coldrif syrup made by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram. Tests find around 48 per cent diethylene glycol. Madhya Pradesh bans the product on 2 October; Tamil Nadu cancels Sresan's licences and the owner is arrested; the Directorate General of Health Services advises that cough syrups should not be given to children under two; Rajasthan halts distribution of all products from Kayson Pharma after separate deaths; Gujarat suspends Rednex Pharmaceuticals (Respifresh TR) and Shape Pharma (ReLife). On 13 October WHO issues Alert N°5/2025 naming all three products. The final toll reported for Madhya Pradesh is 24 children.
December 2025, rules tighten. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission mandates DEG and ethylene glycol testing of every oral-liquid batch before release; Parliament is told more than 700 syrup manufacturing units have been audited; nimesulide above 100 mg is banned for adults; a draft removes cough syrups from the over-the-counter schedule.
January: February 2026. Revised Schedule M good-manufacturing rules come fully into force for all manufacturers. Puducherry bans three further syrups as Not of Standard Quality. CDSCO reports roughly 1,100 of about 1,300 cough-syrup units inspected and around 850 corrective-action notices issued.
August: September 2026. All chlorpheniramine + phenylephrine combinations are restricted for children under four (S.O. 4595(E)); the DGHS proposes a red warning label on every cough syrup; arrests and asset attachments in the Coldrif case continue.
What it means for parents
Do not give cough or cold syrups to children under two, and avoid them under four unless a doctor specifically prescribes them, the combinations most often involved have been restricted for that age group. For any oral liquid, check the batch against the alerts on this site, buy from a licensed pharmacy, and keep the pack. The individual dossiers for Coldrif, Sresan, Kayson Pharma, Marion Biotech and Maiden carry the orders and current status.