New Delhi, Jan. 12 -- State drug regulators in India have launched a massive crackdown and issued urgent public health alerts to stop the use of paediatric cough syrup Almont-Kid after samples from a specific batch were found to contain life-threatening contaminants, according to three government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.

The syrup containing levocetirizine dihydrochloride and montelukast sodium has been declared "Not of Standard Quality" (NSQ) by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kolkata, after tests detected life-threatening contaminants, including toxic ethylene glycol at levels nearly fifteen times the permissible safety limit.

The cough syrup, manufactured by Tridus Remedies based in Bihar's Vaishali district, is ...