A pall of gloom has descended on the Thakre family in central India following the death of their two-year-old daughter, Yojitha, after she consumed a toxic cough syrup linked to the deaths of at least 24 children in the past month.

Parasia

The Thakre family in Parasia, Madhya Pradesh, is mourning the death of their two-year-old daughter, Yojita, who died after consuming a cough syrup called coldrif. The syrup was later found to contain diethylene glycol at nearly 500 times the permissible limit, a toxin that has been linked to the deaths of at least 24 children in the region.

Authorities have responded by banning the syrup, revoking the manufacturer's license, and arresting both the prescribing doctor and the founder of the manufacturing company. The tragedy has led to stricter regulations for Indian pharmaceutical companies, including mandatory upgrades to manufacturing standards and additional testing for exported cough syrups, following previous incidents involving contaminated syrups abroad.

Bereaved family mourns child lost to deadly cough syrup

A shadow of grief hangs heavy over the Thakre family in central India. Their daughter, 2-year-old Yojita, is dead after drinking cough syrup. A doctor, an athlete and even a Bollywood star, those were the aspirations that the Thakre family had for her. But that dream was shattered when Yojita succumbed to multiple organ failure after nearly three weeks battling for her life. Her father, Sushant Kumar Thakre, fondly recalls his memory of her. I used to walk with her, one step at a time, holding her. She would climb on top of me and say, horse, go on, horse, go on. I remember every little thing. Her death is linked to a toxic cough syrup that has claimed the lives of at least 24 children in the past month. I blame myself. We fed her poison with our own hands. If I had known, I would have tasted it first, taken the risk myself, before giving it to her. That syrup, coldrif, was later found to contain 48.6% diethylene glycol, a deadly toxin nearly 500 times the permissible limit set by India and the World Health Organisation. Now Sushant is left not only with unbearable grief, but also a debt of nearly half a million rupees, or $5,690, borrowed in the desperate attempt to save his daughter. Earlier this week, police arrested a doctor from this clinic in Perasia as part of the manslaughter investigation. That doctor was responsible for prescribing coldrif to several children who died. He couldn't be reached for comment. Authorities have since banned coldrif, revoked the licence of its manufacturer, Suresan Pharma, and arrested its founder, S Ranganathan, seen here in a blue shirt and a mask, in a manslaughter investigation. Following this series of deaths, all Indian pharmaceutical companies will now be required to upgrade their manufacturing facilities to meet international standards by the end of this year. Despite appeals from smaller firms, regulators say no further extensions will be granted, according to two regulatory and two industry sources. India also plans to gradually phase out a controversial rule introduced in 2023. The rule mandates additional testing of cough syrups at government-designated laboratories before they can be exported, a requirement that does not apply to medicines sold within the country, a regulatory source confirmed. The mandate was established after India-made cough syrups were linked to the deaths of over 140 children in Africa and Central Asia.

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