Officials of the firm’s seal, which allegedly supplied the Cough Colldriff syrup after an raid in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, on Ocober. 5, 2025 Photo Credit: PTI
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) raised strong objections to the arrest of the doctor in Madhya Pradesh on the ongoing contaminated case of coughs, where more than 10 children under the age of five died in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
IMA called the arrest of “indiscriminate measures against the doctor” and said it was a clear case of false drug, as defined in Section 17 B of the Act on Drugs and Cosmetics.
In his statement issued on Monday (October 6), the Association stated that the action against the doctor was a classic example of legal illustration of officials and police.
“IMA requires immediate steps on real culprits, adequate compensation for the affected family and a doctor who is a victim of defamation,” he said.
Follow: COLDRIF Cough Syrup | Why did many states ban?
The Association stated that the first information report (FIR) was submitted on Saturday at the Police Station Parasia, which named the pediatric specialist sent in the community health center, together with the director Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, the manufacturer of Kašládový Syrup.
They were reserved according to sections 105 (murdered murder that does not apply to murder) and 276 (counterfeiting of drugs), as well as § 27 let. A) of the 1940 drug and cosmetics Act.
“The arrest of a doctor in a hurry shows an attempt to avert the attention of people from the mistakes of regulatory organs and the pharmaceutical society,” Ima said.
Pharmaceutical glycerin and propylene glycol needed to produce coughing are expensive. Toxic substances, including diethylene glycol of industrial degree (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), are cheaper and visually indistinguishable.
“If quality control fails at the level of both the manufacturer and the controller, the cough syrups produced by several companies may end in containing toxic substances capable of causing kidney failure and death in young children.
The statement also explained that the prescription physician has no way to find out whether the drug is contaminated until the adverse results will not be reported in patients who have taken it.
Therefore, regulation must be reliable to avoid these tragedies. In addition, many people buy cough syrups without a doctor’s recommendation, which means that many more children consume them than medically necessary. In most cases, coughing and colds do off without any syrup, Ima said.
Regulatory supervision
“The doctor may be arrested if there are prima facie proof of negligence or deductible, leading to a loss of life,” said Sonam Chandwani, a control partner of the KS Legal & Associates. In this case, the company provokes section 105 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhit, which concerns a favable murder that does not concern murders, and section 27a of the Drug and Cosmetics Act, which penalizes negotiations in false or falid drugs.
If it is proven that the doctor has prescribed or supplied a contaminated medicine, even though he knew that potential risks or could not perform the degree of care from the doctor, criminal liability could occur, Mrs Chandwani said. However, mere prescribing a drug that will later prove to be adulterated does not automatically mean that a doctor is guilty; Criminal prosecution must prove recklessness, gross negligence or knowledge of the defect, she added.
The case emphasizes the need for stronger regulatory supervision and a clearer definition of liability between prescribers, manufacturers and regulatory authorities of drugs.
Published – October 6, 2025 20:35
