A Parasia court on Friday sent Sresan Pharma owner Ranganathan to 10-day police custody in connection with the deaths of children allegedly caused by the consumption of Coldrif cough syrup.Ranganathan was produced before the Parasia court earlier in the day.Earlier on Thursday, Chhindwara Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay Pandey said, “The SIT that left from Chhindwara has arrested Sresan Pharma owner Ranganathan. He was rounded up late at night and then arrested. As part of the procedure, his medical examination will be done, and other proceedings will be undertaken in Chennai. Then, after that, he will be brought to Chhindwara.”However, the Chhindwara Chemist Association has announced an indefinite strike in response to the action taken on Wednesday against the seals of several medical stores in the district.Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla on Wednesday informed that 20 children have died in the state after consuming the Coldrif cough syru,p while five are undergoing treatment.Of these 20 children, 17 are from Chhindwara district, two from Betul district, and one is from Pandhurna district.“20 children have lost their lives in the unfortunate incident from Chhindwara, Betul and Pandhurna districts. The state government is quite strict. The police teams from Chhindwara have reached Chennai and Kanchipuram to arrest the owner of Coldrif manufacturing compan,y and strict action is being taken into the matter,” Shukla told reporters.Meanwhile, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued a directive to all States and Union Territories, calling for strict compliance with the Drugs Rules, 1945, for the testing of raw materials and finished pharmaceutical formulations.In a letter dated October 7, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi emphasised the “critical importance of testing new materials, including the excipients, before their use in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical formulations.
