Imphal: The Manipur government on Friday imposed a ban on two cough syrup brands after laboratory tests detected the presence of a highly toxic chemical in them.
The Drugs Control Department under the Directorate of Health Services has prohibited the sale and consumption of these two products — Relife and Resipfresh TR— in Manipur and directed all retailers, distributors, and pharmacies to immediately withdraw the affected batches from shelves and report compliance.
The department issued a “public alert warning consumers, retailers, and healthcare providers against the purchase and use of two cough syrup brands.
The notice stated that tests conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Government Drug Testing Laboratory confirmed contamination of the syrups with diethylene glycol, a poisonous industrial solvent known to cause acute poisoning, kidney failure, and even death.
The state government has intensified surveillance across pharmacies and hospitals to prevent any further distribution of the two banned cough syrups.
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Healthcare providers have also been advised to remain vigilant for potential cases of diethylene glycol poisoning among patients who may have consumed the syrups, the statement added.
