Mumbai Health Alert: FDA Orders 88 Chemists To Stop Sales After Madhya Pradesh Cough Syrup Deaths

In the wake of 20 children’s deaths in Madhya Pradesh due to contaminated cough syrup, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has swung into action — ordering 88 drug retailers across the state to immediately stop selling medicines.

Amit Srivastava Updated: Thursday, October 09, 2025, 10:27 PM IST
Maharashtra FDA orders 88 chemists to halt medicine sales after MP cough syrup deaths | Representational Image

Maharashtra FDA orders 88 chemists to halt medicine sales after MP cough syrup deaths | Representational Image

Mumbai: In the wake of 20 children’s deaths in Madhya Pradesh due to contaminated cough syrup, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has swung into action — ordering 88 drug retailers across the state to immediately stop selling medicines.

The FDA has also issued show-cause notices to 107 other chemists for allegedly selling cough syrups and other drugs without valid prescriptions, warning that their licenses could be suspended or revoked.

Statewide Inspections Launched To Prevent Contaminated Drugs

The move comes as part of a larger state-wide inspection drive to ensure that substandard or contaminated liquid medicines do not reach patients. Following the Madhya Pradesh tragedy, FDA Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar convened a high-level meeting directing all Joint Commissioners and Drug Inspectors to conduct intensive inspections across government, municipal, and private hospitals, as well as retail and wholesale distributors.

Samples Collected and Sent for Testing

Inspectors have been instructed to collect samples of liquid oral formulations (drugs administered orally in liquid form) and send them to laboratories for testing. They are also required to immediately report the details of all manufacturers producing liquid medicines and seize any suspicious or contaminated stock found at hospitals, distributors, or production facilities.

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Testing to Be Conducted in Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Labs

Confirming the action, FDA Drug Controller D.R. Gahane said that samples from the Mumbai, Konkan, Pune, and Nashik divisions will be sent to a Mumbai-based lab, while those from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, and Nagpur will be tested in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar laboratory.

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Published on: Thursday, October 09, 2025, 10:27 PM IST

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