Cough syrup death case: ED raids premises linked to Coldriff manufacturer Sreesan Pharma in Chennai

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday (October 13) raided premises linked to Shreesan Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Coldriff cough syrup linked to the deaths of at least 22 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

News agency PTI said top officials of the Tamil Nadu Food and Drug Administration (TNFDA) were also part of the money laundering investigation.

ED raided at least seven premises in Chennai as part of action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has said that the TNFDA had granted license to Kancheepuram-based Sreesan Pharma in 2011 and it continued to operate unregulated for more than a decade despite its dismal infrastructure and multiple violations of national drug safety regulations. The license was renewed in 2016 and CDSCO did not know that Srisan Pharma was present in the system.

On October 3, Tamil Nadu released a testing report stating that Coldrif was found to contain 48.6% diethylene glycol (DEG). The same sample was analyzed by the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration and reported 46% DEG content.

Srisan Pharmaceuticals owner G Ranganathan was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police on October 9.