Chennai, 4 Oct

The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of cough syrup Coldrif and ordered its removal from the market following suspicions linking it to the death of at least 11 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

With effect from 1 October,  the sale of the cough syrup manufactured by the city-based firm, has been prohibited across Tamil Nadu, an official of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department said.

Inspections were conducted at the pharmaceutical company's manufacturing facility in Sunguvarchathram in neighbouring Kancheepuram district during the last two days and samples have been collected, he said.

The company, he said, supplies the medicines to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry.

The samples would be sent to the government run laboratories to test for the presence of the chemical called Diethylene Glycol, he told PTI.

Taking cognisance of the infant deaths, the Union Health Ministry on Friday issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories, directing that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed to children under the age of 2 years.

The advisory, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services, comes amid reports of child deaths allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh and similar reported incidents in Rajasthan.

The food safety official said, "The department has been asked to prevent the sale of the syrup and freeze the stocks from October 1."

The samples collected from the facility would be also be tested by the Union government.

According to the Drug department, the company has been ordered to halt production of the syrup at the facility till the reports from the laboratories are out.

"We expect the report to be released in the coming days," he said.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath blamed mixing of 'brake oil solvent' in cough syrups for the deaths of children with a suspected kidney ailment in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district since 7 September.

The toll in the case reached 9 in Madhya Pradesh while media reports said two infants died in Rajasthan.