Bhopal, Oct. 4 -- The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday imposed an immediate ban on the sale and distribution of Coldrif cough syrup after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of a highly toxic chemical, Diethylene Glycol (DEG), in samples from the same batch linked to the deaths of nine children in Chhindwara district.

A directive issued by the state drug controller, accessed by Aaj Tak, stated that the syrup-manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical in Tamil Nadu's Kanchipuram district-was declared "non-standard and defective (NSQ)" based on a Tamil Nadu Drug Control Directorate report dated October 2.

The report revealed that the Coldrif sample contained 48.6% Diethylene Glycol (w/v), a toxic substance known to cause acute kidney ...