File photo for representational purposes only.
New Delhi: The local government in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Monday announced the complete revocation of the manufacturing license of a pharmaceutical company responsible for producing the cough syrup that was linked to the recent child deaths in two states.
The government also ordered the company to shut down.
According to an official statement, the manufacturing license of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, which produced the adulterated cough syrup Coldrif, has been canceled.
"Orders have been given to conduct a detailed inspection of other drug manufacturing companies located in Tamil Nadu," the statement added.
The cough syrup has been found adulterated with over 45 percent of diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent.
While 24 deaths related to the cough syrup have been confirmed in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, three have been reported in the western state of Rajasthan.
The children, mostly under the age of five, have died in the past month due to suspected renal failure after developing complications following the consumption of cough syrup.
Police last week arrested 75-year-old Govindan Ranganathan, the owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, from his Chennai residence, along with his two employees.
Ranganathan faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, drug adulteration and violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
The World Health Organization also voiced deep concern over gaps in India's drug safety regulations, warning that such medicines could reach other countries through unregulated distribution channels.
