Madhya Pradesh police arrested Sresan Pharmaceuticals owner G Ranganathan, 73, in Chennai after his cough syrup, Coldrif, was linked to 21 child deaths due to toxic chemicals
CHENNAI: A seven-member police team from Madhya Pradesh arrested G Ranganathan, the 73-year-old owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, in Chennai on Thursday.His company has been accused of manufacturing Coldrif, a cough syrup found to contain toxic chemicals and linked to the deaths of 21 children in Madhya Pradesh. A longstanding name in Tamil Nadu’s pharmaceutical industry, Ranganathan is now at the centre of a national scandal. His journey — from door-to-door pharmacist promoting nutritional syrups in the 1980s to a manhunt led across state lines — has stunned the industry. A pharmacy graduate from Madras Medical College, Ranganathan rose to prominence with Pronit, a nutritional syrup widely prescribed to pregnant women during the early 1980s. He personally promoted the product by visiting pediatricians across Chennai.
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However, the product was later flagged by the state drug control department for containing ingredients that required prior approval. He was forced to obtain a manufacturing license to continue selling it legally. As competition grew, Ranganathan diversified into other formulations, focusing on liquid nasal products and expanding into small manufacturing units around Chennai. He eventually founded Sresan Pharmaceuticals and maintained ties with other firms like Ceego Labs, while close associates managed Iven Healthcare. “Within industry circles, he was respected for mentoring young entrepreneurs and was a familiar face at pharma conferences,” said J Jeyaselan, a Chennai-based drug manufacturer. That professional image, however, now stands in stark contrast to his arrest and the ongoing investigation. His 2,000 sq ft unit near the Chennai–Bengaluru highway has been sealed. His registered office in Kodambakkam is locked, with neighbours reporting that employees vacated the premises late at night just last week. A lone security guard now directs all visitors to Ranganathan’s lawyer, who has declined to comment.A ‘poison’ in bottle Lab reports from Tamil Nadu confirmed that Coldrif syrup — Batch No. SR-13, manufactured in May 2025 and set to expire in April 2027 — contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a deadly industrial solvent used in antifreeze and brake fluids. Ingesting even small quantities can lead to acute kidney failure and death. Following this confirmation, the Madhya Pradesh government banned Coldrif along with all other products made by Sresan Pharmaceuticals. The MP Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, ordered a state-wide crackdown: the sale, stock, and distribution of Sresan’s medicines were halted; inspectors were deployed to seize available stocks and collect fresh samples for testing. The deaths, initially nine in number, began in Chhindwara district in late August, when children developed sudden kidney failure after being treated for mild fevers and coughs. Most victims were under five years old. The death toll has since risen to 21.14 years of violations in plain sight For 14 years, Sresan Pharmaceuticals operated out of a dingy building in Kancheepuram, with no proper infrastructure, quality control mechanisms, or hygienic practices — yet managed to retain its manufacturing licence since 2011. Only after the deaths in MP did Tamil Nadu’s drug authorities inspect the facility on October 2, following a request from MP’s drug controller. That inspection revealed a staggering 364 violations, including:
- Use of non-pharmaceutical grade propylene glycol, with no invoice or sourcing record.
- No pest control, no purified water system, and no cleaning procedures.
- Medicines stored in corridors, labeled and packed without air-handling units.
- Rusty, cracked, leaking equipment with high risk of contamination.
On October 3, Tamil Nadu’s Deputy Director of Drugs Control ordered the firm to immediately halt the manufacturing and sale of all drugs. “Despite October 1 and 2 being public holidays, we began inspection within hours of receiving the MP request,” the TN Directorate of Drugs Control said in a release, claiming the entire investigation was wrapped up within 48 hours.Regulators under the scanner Despite the damning findings, no prior action had ever been taken against Ranganathan or his company. Former state drug controller M. Bhaskaran questioned the oversight: “no one kept track or inspected the premises”.Source : Times of India