The deadly dose: Inside India's cough syrup obsession

India’s booming cough syrup market faces scrutiny after contaminated syrups kill multiple children.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveThe deadly dose: Inside India's cough syrup obsession2 days agoShareSaveSoutik BiswasIndia correspondentShareSaveReutersA father holds a photo of his child, who is one among at least 12 children under five years of age, whose deaths have allegedly been linked to a cough syrup in JammuIt's happening again.

In early September, a cluster of unexplained child deaths in a small town in Madhya Pradesh sent local health workers scrambling.

At least 19 victims - aged one to six - had died within weeks of taking a common cough syrup. Officials tested everything from drinking water to mosquitoes before the truth emerged: their kidneys had failed.

Weeks later, a state laboratory in the southern city of Chennai confirmed the worst. The syrup in question contained 48.6% diethylene glycol, a toxic industrial solvent that should never be found in medicine. Kidney failure is common after consuming this poisonous alcohol.

The horror wasn't confined to Madhya Pradesh. In neighbouring Rajasthan state, the deaths of two young children, allegedly after consuming a locally-made Dextromethorphan syrup - a cough suppressant unsafe for very young children - sparked outrage and a government investigation.